The Princess Royal visited Gordonstoun to open ‘The Queen Elizabeth II Rooms,’ a modern classroom building.
Influenced by Dumfries House and made with Siberian Larch timber, the structure incorporates environmental features like solar PV panels, ground source heating and carbon monitoring.
Ground source heating, utilising boreholes up to 40 metres deep, provides the underfloor heating at Gordonstoun.
Despite the higher installation cost compared to air source heating, the school opted for this environmentally friendly solution to ensure the only building of its kind adheres to the Scottish Government‘s recent stringent energy and environmental standards implemented in February 2023.
Gordonstoun Principal Lisa Kerr said: “We are committed to providing our students with the best possible learning environment while being mindful of reducing our carbon footprint.
“The low carbon design is a signpost to how we want to develop the rest of the school estate as part of our bold masterplan leading up to the school’s 100th anniversary.
“Gordonstoun is always looking for ways to innovate and The Queen Elizabeth II Rooms’ is the first step in our biggest building project since WWII.”
