Murrumba Downs Secondary School is a “cool school” thanks to COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel

Location:	Murrumba Downs, South-East Queensland
Country:	Australia
Client:	Queensland Government and the Aspire Schools Consortium
Architect:	PDT Architects

As one of the first major COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel projects completed in Australia, Murrumba Downs Secondary School is leading the way in the next generation of "cool schools". Maximising the thermal efficiency of the buildings was a key consideration for the architects when designing the new "cool school" facilities.

After reviewing various roofing materials, the project’s architects, PDT Architects, made the decision to include roofing made from COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel after discovering the discernable products benefits to both the school and the community.

"I was keen to see COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel used in the Murrumba Downs Secondary School project as a way of making the learning environment a more pleasant experience for both students and teachers alike without the added continual future expense, both financial and on the environment, of air conditioning these spaces," said Andrew Smith, Senior Technician at PDT Architects.

Murrumba Downs Secondary School is part of the South-East Queensland Schools Project - a Public Private Partnership between the Queensland Government and the Aspire Schools Consortium. The project will oversee the construction of six new primary schools in addition to Murrumba Downs Secondary School, in the fast growing South-East Queensland region including the Sunshine Coast, the Western Corridor and Redlands. The Department of Education and Training selected the location of the seven new schools based on projections of future student demand.

Built over two stages, the Murrumba Downs Secondary School will accommodate approximately 1,300 students. Stage One consists of 16 completed buildings, incorporating a range of specialist facilities, such as a science laboratory, applied technology centre, hospitality and food studies kitchens and an oval. Stage One will officially open in time for the new school year in 2012. Stage Two will see an additional 15 buildings constructed, such as a sports hall and performing arts facilities, constructed over the next two years.

Studies show that compared to a standard roof made from COLORBOND® steel in the colour Surfmist®, COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel in the colour Whitehaven®, can lower the internal temperature of a non air conditioned buildingby approximately 0.5°C to 2°C, depending upon thebuilding design.Compared to ZINCALUME® steel, this lowers the internal temperature by approximately 2°C to 4°C¹. The potential increase in natural thermal comfort means that choosing a roof made from COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel may reduce annual air conditioning energy costs for cooling of a building by up to 7.5%².

 

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^{1.  In a building study conducted in Queensland by BlueScope Steel, the roof surface and internal room temperature of buildings with roofing made from COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel, COLORBOND® steel in Surfmist® and  ZINCALUME® steel were measured. COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel was coolest. The room temperature of the building with an un-insulated roof made from COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel was up to 1.6°C and 3.7°C cooler than identical buildings with roofing made from COLORBOND® steel Surfmist® and ZINCALUME® steel respectively.  Temperature reductions in buildings will be dependent upon the importance the roof plays in governing internal temperatures. Factors such as the presence and amount of insulation, and the roof to wall ratio will be important in this regard and may impact any reductions.}