The construction of Gateway to the Valleys School was a 39 million pound exemplar project based around core constructing excellence principles of collaboration, integrated teams, committed leadership and respect for people. During the project Solar proudly worked alongside Bridgend County Borough Council, Scott Brownrigg Architects and Leadbitter Building Contractors to provide the ideal shading solution for the school.
Given that the need for shading is never consistent throughout a building such as a school, Solar provided a variety of products that together combined to satisfy every requirement. System 40 roller blinds were installed in classrooms and college workshop areas, whilst vertical louvre blinds were used in the Staff Offices allowing effective light control whilst also ensuring privacy when required. Finally, window film was used on various windows and doors to reflect light and maintain privacy.
As a local business, Solar Sunshades is always keen to help the local community and the environment in which we work. As such, we were delighted to learn that both the community and the environment were the focal points of the school extra curricular plans. The Welsh Assembly Government required the school to achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘excellent’ in order to support the agenda of reducing CO2 emissions and being as environmentally sustainable as possible. Not only did the project achieve this, but they hoped to exceed expectations and achieve and ‘outstanding’, something that no school in the UK has ever achieved.
Finally, the school serves a dual use as a community hub, capitalising on the new school as an opportunity to incorporate wider facilities that are not otherwise available in the community for the local public to use.
Solar were delighted to play a part in such an outstanding and impressive development within our local area and feel proud to have helped create a facility that will not only benefit its pupils but also the wider community for many years to come.
