McAvoy takes home the Consideration of Net Zero Award at the MMC Awards

We are delighted to have taken home the Consideration of Net Zero using MMC Construction Award at the inaugural Modern Methods of Construction Awards for our Merstham Park School project.

Winning this award was recognition of the hard work by our team and all the project stakeholders to successfully deliver the ‘Low Carbon Pathfinder’ school.  Using digital technology and Modern Methods of Construction enabled the reduction of the school’s water demand by more than 30%, operational energy consumption by more than 73% and carbon emissions by almost 60% of the predicted regulated energy use. Low or Zero Carbon Technologies (LZCTs) also provide up to 44% of peak energy demand of the school.

The 6,850m2 Department for Education (DfE) Merstham Park School is a purpose-designed 2-3 storey facility providing 900 pupils aged 11-16 years with high-quality classrooms, play space, a dance studio, and an all-weather sports pitch.

The pioneering ‘Low Carbon Pathfinder’ project minimises energy usage by implementing the ‘Be Lean, Be Clean, Be Green’ energy hierarchy which focuses on reducing the demand for energy at source through passive measures before considering efficient systems and renewable technology.

The school – located within a green-belt zone – is run predominantly by electricity, and incorporates efficient heating and cooling systems, as well as roof-mounted solar panels.

The use of an all-electric scheme means that all the energy harnessed by the PV panels can be used across all energy consuming facets of the building, making the most of the available renewable energy which of course is carbon negative in operation.

McAvoy also received a highly commended certificate for Project of the Year – Showcasing the use of Category 1 MMC (Volumetric Modular) for Merstham Park School.

Merstham Park School is a ground-breaking scheme, the learnings from which will strongly influence the design and performance standards for new schools being funded and delivered by the DfE.