Our plans for an integrated educational and community facility for the east end of Dundee were today approved by Dundee City Council.

The East End Community Campus, which will cater for almost 1900 pupils of Braeview Academy and Craigie High School and their teachers, staff, and the wider community, will be built by Robertson Construction to the international ‘Passivhaus’ sustainable energy use standard, using responsibly sourced materials. Work is scheduled to start on site in late spring 2023, with completion due for the new term in 2025.

The community campus will offer an optimum environment for learning and attainment, including sports facilities and pitches, an auditorium, a library, teaching and informal meeting spaces, learning plaza zones, and Additional Support Needs (ASN) specialist teaching areas. The sports, cultural and educational facilities will be supplemented by dedicated community spaces, including flexible multipurpose rooms and a café.

Contributing to Dundee City Council’s carbon reduction targets, the campus is designed to have low energy consumption both during the construction phase and throughout the life of the building.

To achieve Passivhaus standard, sustainability was placed at the heart of the design, including ensuring a compact, highly insulated building with low energy hybrid ventilation, a heating system powered by air source heat pumps, and substantial solar panels.

The campus design has also been informed by extensive consultation with local residents, Dundee City Council, school pupils and staff, and community organisations. This input led to various changes in the design, including how different departments are arranged, and the inclusion of facilities that will ensure the building can be used 365 days a year.

Mark Ellson, Director at Holmes Miller, said: "The design of the East End community campus is set to deliver on three fronts – to bring two schools together and conduct effective teaching, to provide a building aligned with long-term sustainability commitments, and to offer valuable space for local community benefit. The design also recognises the history and achievements of both schools and celebrates their collective future.

“Working on this project has been a great opportunity to collaborate with local partners, and to further our strong interest in delivering developments that help create positive outcomes for the environment and communities.”

Kevin Dickson, Regional Managing Director – Tayside at Robertson Construction, said: “We are delighted to be continuing our relationship with Dundee City Council through the delivery of another exciting project which will benefit the people of Dundee.

“East End Campus exemplifies the characteristics and drivers for the next generation of low energy and carbon reduction educational environments.  Our appointment provides the opportunity for us to share, and extend, our expertise in the development of Passivhaus school construction.

“As the construction partner of choice, through Procurement Hub Major Projects 2, we will also be delivering significant social value to benefit both the community and the local economy.”

Councillor Stewart Hunter, Dundee City Council children and families convener, said: “This is a bold and ambitious project to transform school accommodation for the challenges of the future.

“We will be building an inspirational educational environment at a community campus, where the education of pupils will benefit from advantages of scale that the current two facilities cannot offer.

“Young people will be playing an important role in this exciting development and their input will be crucial.”