Mulberry Academy London Dock

Mulberry Academy London Dock is a new secondary school and sixth form built by Kier Construction for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Designed by Passivhaus specialist architects Architype, the school is a thoroughly sustainable building with the lowest possible whole life carbon in line with the UK’s net zero objectives.

Energy efficient and low environmental impact
Through the application of Passivhaus principles, the school was built with an unbroken thermal envelope to provide an airtight construction with ultra-low energy consumption. As a result, there will be substantial savings in running costs for the school and local authority, meaning funds can be directed toward vital educational requirements.

Health and wellbeing
As well as low carbon and energy consumption, Passivhaus principles delivers excellent indoor quality to benefit the health and wellbeing of students and staff, known to have a significant effect on learning as well as happiness. As part of the scheme, Junckers solid hardwood flooring was installed in several areas of the school, including the Sport England-compliant sports hall. As well as providing a safe, high-performing, area elastic floor, Junckers’ solid wood floors help maintain a healthy indoor climate. The pre-finished floors and the range of cleaning and woodcare products used to maintain the floor carry the Danish Indoor Climate having undergone extensive degassing and odour testing.

Social value
For any new or refurbished school, demonstrating social value is a strong factor in securing funding. A state-of-the-art sports hall equipped with a high-quality sports flooring system suitable for a wide range of sports and activities is an asset not only to the school itself but also to the wider community. Providing a safe and high performing facility can dramatically enhance participation levels as well as serve as a source of income for the school.

The design of Mulberry Academy sets an example for schools, both new buildings and refurbishments, demonstrating how even with complex site challenges which included an original dock wall and a basement build on a busy road, Passivhaus and low carbon design can be achieved.

The flooring contractor was PICA Floorings Ltd.