Holy Family Special School Co. Cavan
A purpose built special educational needs (SEN) school offering dedicated facilities for pupils.
Case Study4
The Ardnashee School and College in Derry/Londonderry provides purpose-built educational accommodation for up to 275 pupils aged 3 to 19, supporting a wide spectrum of complex needs, including moderate, severe, and profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD).
Designed by Samuel Stevenson & Sons, the building is arranged into wings linked by a central hub, forming a series of internal courtyards that enhance daylight penetration and provide secure opportunities for outdoor learning. The accommodation includes specialist teaching areas, therapy zones, and a hydrotherapy pool, all configured to meet stringent operational and safeguarding requirements.
The project was delivered by an Integrated Consultancy Team led by Samuel Stevenson & Sons as Economic Operator, Project Manager, and Lead Architect. Construction was overseen by Woodvale Construction Ltd, with the scheme winning Education Project of the Year at the Construction Employers Federation Awards. The building achieves a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, supported by a fabric‑first energy strategy incorporating high-performance insulation solutions from Kingspan Insulation.
Flat roof
As with many education premises, the campus buildings are primarily flat roofed. To insulate these areas,
With a thermal conductivity of just 0.022 W/mK, they are amongst the most thermally efficient flat roof insulation products. This allowed the project team to achieve the target U-value of 0.10 W/m2K with an overall insulation thickness of just 160 mm.
Thermaroof TR26 also is available with FM Approval to FM 4470 (Examination Standard for Single-Ply, Polymer-Modified Bitumen Sheet, Built-Up Roof (BUR) and Liquid Applied Roof Assemblies for use in Class 1 and Non-combustible Roof Deck Construction) April 2022, subject to conditions of approval. For further details, search ‘Kingspan Therma’ on the FM Approvals website.
Floor
To complete the building envelope, Thermafloor TF70 was specified for the ground floor constructions across the new campus. Suitable for use in solid or suspended floor constructions, the insulation boards deliver a thermal conductivity of 0.022 W/mK whilst the average compressive stress of Thermafloor TF70 exceeds 140 kPa at 10% compression, when tested to EN 826: 2013.
A 100 mm thickness of the insulation was fitted above the ground floor slab within the school and college buildings. The insulation was then overlaid with a protective sheet before the screed layer and finished flooring were installed.
25 – 150 mm thick Thermafloor boards produced at Kingspan Insulation’s Castleblayney (Co. Monaghan) manufacturing facility are covered by NSAI Agrément Certificate 03/0196.
Cavity walls
The majority of the building façade has been constructed with cavity walls featuring a cream clay brick exterior leaf and dense blockwork inner. To achieve the target U-value 0.14 W/m2K with an overall cavity depth of 150 mm cavity, Kooltherm K108 Cavity Board was specified.
Kooltherm K108 is a partial fill insulation solution that is well suited to applications where buildings will be exposed to significant driving rain. The boards are fitted with a clear cavity which helps to prevent any moisture which enters the cavity from passing through to the inner leaf. In combination with its thermal conductivity of just 0.019 W/mK, this can allow developers to achieve ambitious U-values with slimmer construction depths than would be possible with worse performing alternatives.
For the external walls of Ardnashee School and College, a 110 mm thickness of Kooltherm K108 was installed with a further 40 mm residual cavity between the insulation and the outer leaf. The rigid boards can be quickly and easily cut to size with hand tools, helping installers to achieve a continuous layer of insulation across the outer masonry walls of the buildings.
Images: Joe Laverty Photography and Samuel Stevenson & Sons
Products used in this project
Ardnashee School and College is one of Northern Ireland’s most significant public-sector investments in Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision. Delivered for the Education Authority and Department of Education, the facility accommodates pupils with complex learning needs on a 7.9 hectare brownfield site on Northland Road, Derry/Londonderry.
Thermafloor TF70
Underfloor insulation board with thermal conductivity of 0.022 W/mK.
