en.Wedoany.com Reported - A new net-zero primary school has officially opened in Cwmbran, UK, marking the completion of a £16.2 million redevelopment project delivered by Morgan Sindall Construction on behalf of Torfaen County Borough Council.
The new Maendy Primary School was formally unveiled at an opening ceremony attended by Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Education Lynne Neagle, representatives from Morgan Sindall Construction and Torfaen County Borough Council, as well as school staff. Students performed songs and participated in celebrations before guests toured the new facilities.
The two-storey school accommodates 420 students across 16 classrooms, replacing the previous school building. The new facility covers 2,184 square metres and is designed as a net-zero carbon building. The project was completed in two phases, with the main school building handed over in May 2025 and remaining site works finished in February 2026. The first phase delivered the new teaching block, along with a rear playground, a multi-use games area (MUGA), and dedicated outdoor play spaces. The second phase involved demolishing the original school building to make way for additional infrastructure, including a new access road, a car park with electric vehicle charging points, sports fields, and a forest school area for outdoor learning.
The building is designed to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating, featuring a full brick-clad steel frame with 700 square metres of solar photovoltaic panels on the roof. The school layout is also optimised for energy efficiency while supporting modern teaching and learning environments. During construction, Morgan Sindall Construction participated in its 10 Tonne Challenge programme, aimed at reducing embodied carbon emissions during the construction process. The project recorded a carbon reduction of 89 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, including the use of reusable ballast blocks instead of traditional concrete foundations for site hoardings, allowing the hoardings to be repositioned between construction phases without requiring new concrete work.
The contractor also carried out a community engagement programme throughout the build, including construction safety talks, assemblies, and carbon literacy workshops for students. Additional support included sponsoring the Healthy Dragons programme (in partnership with the Dragons RFC Community Team), and donating materials to create a hedgehog habitat within the school's forest school area.
The completed development also introduces an internal drop-off zone, designed to reduce congestion around the school during peak hours and improve safety for students and parents.
