Brunstane Primary School Sustainable Refurbishment
Retrofit delivers a low-carbon learning environment for Edinburgh pupils
Client
City of Edinburgh Council
Value
£10m
Division
Building
Sector
Education
Timeline
Oct 2024 - Apr 2026
Location
Scotland
Framework
Crown Commercial Services
Project Summary
GRAHAM has completed the £10 million retrofit of Brunstane Primary School in Edinburgh, delivering a fully modernised and highly sustainable learning environment for pupils and staff.
Appointed by City of Edinburgh Council, GRAHAM has delivered the multi-phase project while the school remained fully operational, ensuring continuity of learning throughout the programme. Works began in October 2024 and have transformed the campus into one of the city’s most energy-efficient education facilities, supporting the Council’s ambition to become net zero by 2030.
Project Detail
Works included upgraded classrooms, new staff and pupil facilities, and extensive improvements to the building fabric and external areas. This includes new cladding, replacement windows, enhanced accessibility through new ramps, and the installation of photovoltaic panels to generate renewable energy.
A key element of the project has been the transition to low-carbon heating, with air source heat pumps and an electric heating system replacing the existing gas network, significantly reducing the school’s operational carbon emissions.
This was a complex retrofit project delivered within a live school environment. Throughout the programme the focus was on minimising disruption and working collaboratively with the school to ensure a smooth delivery.
What they had to say
“We want all our schools and early years settings to offer the best possible learning environment for our children and young people. Central to this is ongoing investment in our school buildings to ensure that they meet the needs of our learners, offer a comfortable learning and teaching setting, and support our net-zero goals.
“It is fantastic to see that the refurbishment works at Brunstane Primary School are complete, just in time for pupils and staff returning after the Easter break. The improvements to the building will make a huge difference to how the school building is used by teachers and pupils in the here and now, and for many future generations of young learners in Brunstane.”
Councillor James Dalgleish, Education, Children and Families Convener