Kirkliston Early Learning Centre

Kirkliston Early Learning Centre

Client: City of Edinburgh Council

Status: Completed 2024

Value: £9m

Type: New Build Early Learning / Primary School

Location: Kirkliston, Edinburgh

Kirkliston Early Years Centre provides additional Nursery and Primary 1 facilities for Kirkliston Primary School, dedicated to early years learning with a focus on play and outdoor education.

The design is a single storey L-shaped building with two wings - Nursery and Primary 1, linked together by a shared dining space. Open plan playrooms and classrooms are designed to allow collaborative learning through play, with direct covered access to the outdoor space. Simple vernacular forms and use of exposed timber structure provide a connection with the village aesthetic of Kirkliston. This important link with the local area reflects a domestic sense of place for children coming into a new setting as they start their educational journey.

Structure: CLT & Glulam

U-Values: Wall 0.14W/m2K / Roof 0.14W/m2K

Air Tightness: 0.9 h-1 @ 50 Pa

Heating: ASHP & MVHR

Form Factor: 2.5

Sustainability was fundamental to the design. The simple forms create an efficient form factor with south-facing canopied recesses providing solar shading to prevent over-heating. A fabric first approach was taken with enhanced u-values and airtightness – this, alongside a MHVR system minimises energy and heating demand. A CLT & Glulam structure reduces the embodied carbon of the project and is exposed internally creating a natural and comfortable environment.