Berwick Hills - <>

Berwick Hills is a neighbourhood in east Middlesbrough, England with a population of 4,465. It has a large Morrisons supermarket, with a public swimming pool, called the Neptune Centre, municipal library and parade of shops on the same site.The Neptune Centre is a community swimming facility and regional venue for competitive swimming. It offers casual swimming, aqua aerobics, aqua-natal classes, and swimming lessons for all ages. The Neptune Centre also has a modern health and fitness club.Berwick Hills Primary SchoolBerwick Hills Primary opened in 1954, as two schools, an infant and a junior school, with a combined 446 children. The schools later amalgamated, but it was not until 2011 that a new building was built. The present school is a single-storey, £5.8m, eco-friendly facility, It has solar panels on the roof and wind turbines to generate electricity. The layout comprises a central hub area, that includes a hall, library and reception area, with three branches providing the classrooms for 315 children. A number of computer work stations are sited around the school in addition to a central ICT unit for use by pupils.The school has a multi-use games area (MUGA). The building itself has a very good BREEAM rating of 55 – showing energy efficiency. Services provided onsite include a Sure Start centre, breakfast club and after-school clubs. Additional facilities include: sports hall with changing rooms, all-weather pitch, dance studio, trim trail, school library, computer suite.The steps taken during the construction process to reduce environmental impacts, include innovative construction management techniques, responsible sourcing of materials such as timber and the use of recycled hardcore. The social, or economically sustainable, measures achieved, or piloted, include air source heat pumps. In addition to this, Tees Valley Wildlife Trust worked with the design team and school to enhance the schools ecology and natural habitat area. There is provision of cycle storage. The school area actively encouraging recycling. Photo voltaic panels are fitted to roof areas to generate electricity and there is a wind-turbine on site.

Tags: Arts & Entertainment