Balfour Beatty has secured a £67m contract from the City of Edinburgh Council to build a new campus at Liberton High School in Edinburgh, Scotland
Balfour Beatty will design and build a 13,470 square metre campus at Liberton High School, including a modern synthetic sports pitch, a library, and a café.
The developer will create new areas to support biodiversity and work with ecologists to protect existing habitats in the conservation area.
The campus will be Beatty’s first Passivhaus-certified building, a certification for low-energy construction. To achieve the Passivhaus Standard, buildings must have high insulation levels, insulated windows, an airtight building envelope, thermal bridge-free construction, and a mechanical ventilation system with effective heat recovery.
Liberton High School’s efficient feature
Liberton High School features high-performance windows and doors and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. These will reduce carbon emissions, improve indoor air quality, and lower energy consumption and heating costs.
“At Balfour Beatty, we have a long and proud history in delivering education facilities in Scotland,” said Hector MacAulay MBE, managing director of Balfour Beatty’s regional business in Scotland.
“Throughout construction, we will work hard to give back to the local community, creating and delivering new construction-based educational pathways which will equip students with the skills and experience they need for a lasting, fulfilling career in our sector,” she continued.
Creating jobs in the local area
Construction is set to begin later this year and is expected to be complete by 2026. During the project’s busiest phase, it will employ 120 individuals, including opportunities for apprenticeships, graduates, and trainee positions.
“It’s great to see work starting on the replacement Liberton High, which is the latest school we are building for our young people,” said Councillor Joan Griffiths, education, children and families convener at the City of Edinburgh Council.
“These new school campuses are innovatively and sustainably designed, so they are inspirational places for learning for the next generation of young people, creating a vibrant and thriving learning environment,” concluded Griffiths.
