South Baddesley Church of England Primary School in Hampshire developed an ambitious Ecological Discovery Centre designed to integrate sustainability, environmental education and innovative construction methods. The project aimed to create a facility that would both support modern learning and demonstrate environmentally responsible building practices to pupils.

The building incorporates a wide range of sustainable technologies, including a sedum green roof, air source heat pump, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery and solar power generation, alongside extensive use of recycled construction materials. The result is a highly energy-efficient building awarded an A-rated Energy Performance Certificate.

CHALLENGE:
A key objective was maximising natural daylight within the building while maintaining its ecological credentials. The school and architects wanted a daylighting solution that aligned with the sustainability ethos of the project and could be confidently specified based on proven performance and certification.

Providing consistent natural daylight within the flat-roof classroom spaces, while integrating with the green roof construction and other environmental technologies, required a solution that balanced technical performance, environmental responsibility and architectural integration. Flexibility was also important, allowing lighting levels to be controlled for different teaching activities.

SOLUTION:
Solatube Daylighting Systems were specified due to their proven daylight performance, environmental benefits and BBA certifications, providing the technical assurance required for the project.

The installation incorporated seven Solatube 290 DS Daylighting Systems with OptiView® diffusers, integrated directly into the sedum green roof structure. The systems capture and distribute natural daylight into the interior learning space, helping to reduce reliance on artificial lighting while complementing the building’s wider sustainability strategy.

RESULTS:
The Eco Discovery Centre now benefits from strong levels of natural daylight, creating a bright and welcoming environment for pupils while supporting the building’s sustainability and energy efficiency objectives

Feedback from staff and pupils has been positive, with comments highlighting the brightness, sense of openness and connection to natural light within the learning space.

CONCLUSION:
The South Baddesley Ecological Discovery Centre demonstrates how effective daylighting can form part of a wider approach to sustainable educational design. By combining natural daylight with technologies including renewable energy, heat recovery and a green roof, the project creates an engaging learning environment while helping to reduce the building’s environmental impact.

Solatube daylighting solutions can be incorporated across a wide range of building types, helping architects, specifiers and contractors introduce natural daylight into spaces where conventional windows or rooflights may not provide an effective solution. Alongside education, Solatube systems can be used across commercial, healthcare, residential and other environments, with solutions available to suit a variety of project and building requirements.

Explore more Solatube education projects:
• All Saints Academy case study
• Sedbergh School case study

PRODUCT:
Solatube® Brighten Up® Series – 7 x 290 DS (350mm diameter system)

SOLATUBE DISTRIBUTOR:
Solalighting Limited

ARCHITECT OF RECORD:
John Pardey Architects, Lymington

GENERAL CONTRACTOR:
Solalighting Limited