Safety, security, ease of maintenance and bright colours were the key factors that won NorDan the opportunity to help create a new state-of-the-art primary school in the Cotswolds.

NorDan supplied its timber- and aluminium-clad tilt and turn windows and doors to Gloucestershire County Council for the £1.9 million new build Mickleton Primary School.

A four-classroom primary school and nursery on a greenfield site at the edge of the idyllic Cotswold village of Mickleton, the project needed to have a traditional appearance, so the design was loosely based on the vernacular form of farm buildings, explains Pauline Winstanley, senior project architect at Gloucester-based Quattro Design.

The larger block of the hall and its adjacent administrative facilities and the lower classroom blocks form an enclosed courtyard playground. Environmental provisions include natural ventilation and good levels of natural lighting as well as high levels of insulation.

In design for children, safety is always a key concern and so the project demanded restricted openings with nothing for the children to bang their heads on. What’s more, the project was specified to be secure by design, as security is an issue; the windows have to be able to withstand acts of vandalism and deter theft. NorDan multiple operating system windows fit the bill exactly, featuring tilt and turn functionality with three handles.

Gloucester County Council also wanted the windows to be low maintenance. “We selected NorDan’s timber and aluminium clad windows because of these zero maintenance requirements and also because of the great range of bright and cheerful colours that are available,” comments Ms. Winstanley.

“The service that NorDan provided on site was very good. We were really pleased at the way it worked out,” she continues.

“By improving the insulation value of windows, it was possible for us to provide larger and more aesthetically versatile windows, without compromising on energy efficiency,” says Syd Birnie, managing director of NorDan UK.

Mickleton Primary School perfectly sums up Quattro Design’s five core principles; creation of uplifting spaces, effectiveness in use, value for money, environmental sustainability and minimal maintenance.

And former pupils even took part in a rural skills training scheme and helped in the preparation and installation of timber products used in the fencing and landscaping, so the new school has already brought the community together.