Faifley Campus
Faifley Campus
Client: West Dunbartonshire Council / Morrison Construction
Status: Completed 2025
Value: £27m
Type: New-build Primary School & Community Campus
Location: Faifley, Clydebank
Faifley Campus is an ambitious new development bringing together education and community facilities within a single, vibrant building. Designed to Passivhaus standards and meeting Net Zero Public Sector Building Standard (NZPSBS) targets, the project will serve as an exemplar for sustainable design in West Dunbartonshire.
Sustainability and carbon reduction sit at the heart of the design, with extensive stakeholder engagement shaping a stimulating and inclusive learning environment. The campus accommodates multiple educational settings, integrated ASN provision, and essential community amenities - creating a welcoming civic hub at the centre of Faifley.
A Stimulating Learning Environment
Faifley Campus provides a variety of flexible learning spaces - from amphitheatres and reading nooks to shared breakout areas - supporting diverse styles of teaching and exploration. Strong visual and physical connections between indoor classrooms and outdoor landscapes enhance pupils’ learning, wellbeing, and sense of place.
The design encourages curiosity and collaboration, with spaces that empower pupils and staff to shape their own learning experiences. This flexibility promotes independence, innovation, and a spirit of shared creativity between classes.
Developed through an open and collaborative design process, the campus challenges traditional notions of school design. The result is a dynamic, learner-centred environment embraced by staff, pupils, and the wider community, setting a new benchmark for future educational projects across West Dunbartonshire.
Building Performance: Passivhaus Classic / NZPSBS
Airtightness: 0.434 ACH @ 50Pa
Embodied Carbon: <600kgCO2e/m2 to NZPSBS
Energy Use: LEIP Band A
Quality and Performance
A rigorous focus on quality has been maintained through the adoption of Passivhaus methodology, ensuring robust site verification, third-party certification, and minimisation of the performance gap. The project focused on a compact building form, enhanced thermal envelope and robust airtightness strategy to provide a fabric first approach - this was balanced with a palette of high quality external materials providing a landmark facility at the heart of the community.
Performance was continuously monitored through the project with PHPP and MEP Building Performance modelling, with key-stage reviews enabling open discussion on design optimisation and environmental outcomes. Collaborative workshops, early subcontractor engagement and development of a large scale 'test rig' all helped refine complex Passivhaus detailing and ensure buildability.
Collaboration
Strong, transparent relationships between West Dunbartonshire Council, hub West Scotland, and Morrison Construction have underpinned the project’s success. Direct engagement and shared commitment to quality and performance have delivered a campus designed to support learning, wellbeing, and community life for generations to come.
