Jedburgh Grammar School
A stunning community campus is supporting learning, health and wellbeing featuring Kingspan
Case Study5 min read
Following an in-depth review by Gwynedd Council, it was recognised that the capacity of Ysgol Y Garnedd needed to be greatly expanded, with the school already oversubscribed and a large housing development set to open in the local area. The Property Department of Gwynedd Council tasked Ainsley Gommon Architects with designing an entirely new school building to be funded jointly by the council and the 21st Century Schools programme of the Welsh Government. Working with main contractors, Read Construction, from an early stage in the planning process, they created an attractive design which provides capacity for 420 students and a nursery.
LOCATIONBangor, UK
ArchitectAinsley Gommon Architects
ProductsKooltherm K103 Floorboard
To meet the funding requirements from the Welsh Government, the building needed to attain a rating of ‘Excellent’ under the BREEAM sustainability standard. This was achieved with a building envelope specification including Kooltherm K103 Floorboard.
Ainsley Gommon Architects and Read Construction collaborated on the design. Following guidance from the Welsh Government, the project team focused the design approach around an energy hierarchy, first looking to minimise demand from the building. To achieve this, they developed a specification featuring Kooltherm K103, one of the thinnest commonly used insulation for floors, allowing U-values to be reached with minimal thickness. These floor insulation boards allowed the project team to target excellent levels of thermal performance.
"The building is designed to orienting itself in the landscape in such a way as not to disturb semi-rural characteristics of the site yet still providing a safe, suitable and enriching environment for the pupils of the new school. We chose Kingspan products, in part, because of their excellent environmental qualities".
Gethin Jones, Ainsley Gommon Architects
The new school building was constructed whilst the original school remained in operation. Once complete, the existing building will be demolished to provide additional parking and playing areas.
By installing Kooltherm K103 as underfloor insulation, the required U-value was met with a slimmer construction than would otherwise have been possible. The product also supported the installation of underfloor heating within the hall areas.
The use of Kingspan floor insulation also helped the project to work towards its target BREEAM assessment score of ‘Excellent’. The excellent fabric performance was a key factor in the award of credits within the Energy section of the assessment and also supports improved thermal comfort as recognised within the Health and Wellbeing section.
Page updated 02/03/2026
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