Northwood Primary School in Darlington, County Durham, was named Sustainable School of the Year at the 2011 British Council for School Environments (BCSE) Awards, held in London.

The £6.5 million school, designed and engineered by Atkins, came out on top in a keenly contested category, winning praise for its sustainable design and high levels of community engagement.

Featuring a distinctive 'green wall' with living plants and herbs that help reduce CO2 emissions and rainwater run-off, the school, which opened in spring 2010, provides a natural ecological habitat and learning space for its 420 pupils.

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The low carbon design strategy also includes building orientation that maximises natural light and the use of timber louvers which helps avoid overheating in the summer. The classrooms, meanwhile, are lit from both sides to give an even distribution of daylight and reduce the need for electric lighting.

Philip Watson, Head of Design for Education at Atkins, said: "Northwood Primary was born out of a vision to create an affordable school which was as low carbon as possible. We wanted something different and inspiring which would be a hub for the local community.

"It's fantastic for all those involved that this vision has become an award-winning reality."

Stakeholder engagement was key throughout the project, with various initiatives generating invaluable feedback and ideas from the school management team, Darlington Borough Council, governors and pupils.

The result is an economic and environmentally sustainable learning environment which also benefits from 30 nursery places and 65 place wrap around care for early years, as well as meeting rooms and multipurpose halls available for community use.

(CD/KMcA)