Thomas Buxton Primary School

Deteriorating rooflights at Thomas Buxton School in Whitechapel, East London meant water leakage was disrupting learning. School safety standards were also failing to be met and old rooflights could no longer manage glare and control heat.

Several polycarbonate domes were painted white to mitigate glare and increased a reliance on artificial lighting. But this meant natural light was unable to enter the primary school. Old rooflights were damaged due to cracks in the infrastructure, and an increase in heat loss and worsening thermal insulation was negatively impacting learning.

Project collaboration between main contractor, Centaur Technologies, and installer, Central Roofing resulted in the replacement of 100 Dome Rooflights, providing daylight throughout the school. Three mono-pitched Specialist Continuous Rooflights were installed to allow daylight to enter corridors and classrooms. A connection to the world outside has also been achieved for students to enjoy as they learn in active spaces. Triple skin Dome Rooflights improve thermal insulation and further enhances the durability of the solutions.

The larger domes incorporate bronzed polycarbonate glazing to manage glare and heat gains. A curved polycarbonate canopy covers the reception entrance, offering optimal daylight as students and teachers enter the school. An additional project goal was to reduce a reliance on artificial lighting and lower energy consumption, which has been successfully achieved as part of a rooflight replacement project.

In total, all domes and Specialist Continuous Rooflights were successfully installed over a 6-week period with interchangeable kerbs enabling a faster and simpler installation. Dome Rooflights were replaced in units of 5 at a time over weekends to ensure an efficient process that enabled the school to remain operational.

Today, students benefit from optimal daylight in classrooms, corridors, a canteen and kitchen to invigorate learning in a thriving primary school.