Beton Bauen Shortlisted as Finalist in Two Categories for the CRA Awards 2025: A Sustainable, Pioneering, Net Zero Carbon Refurbishment of Pen-y-Dre High School, Merthyr Tydfil

This project is shortlisted as a finalist for the CRA Awards 2025 in two categories - the Sustainability and Social Value Award and CRA Small Project of the Year Award.

Imagery courtesy of Lawray Architects (lawray-architects.co.uk)

Project Details  

Project Title: Pen Y Dre High School

Sector: Education

Beton Bauen Project Value: £1.2 Million (Approx.)

Project Duration: 2022-24

Our Client: Morgan Sindall Construction On Behalf of: Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council; Welsh Government

Other Partners: Darlow Lloyd Construction; Fosroc; Cambria Consulting; Lawray Architects Further Reading: To read the mini case study Click Here

Project Overview Pen Y Dre High School is a comprehensive for pupils aged between 11-16 years old, located on the Gurnos estate, Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. The main building opened in 1972, replacing an older county school. Since then expansion has seen a number of interconnected buildings developed, including an indoor swimming pool, sports hall and gymnasium. In recent times, the school has found itself in a poor state of repair.

A government announcement called for a cut in building demolitions to save carbon, instead prioritising retrofit and reuse of buildings over knock down and rebuild; Pen Y Dre was identified as an ideal project. The project aims to produce no operational carbon, using photovoltaic panels, air source heat pumps, and advanced insulation. This project is shortlisted as finalists for two awards at the CRA Awards 2025, to be held on 11 December at the Radisson Blu hotel, Glasgow and signifies a total of five projects where Beton Bauen projects have been shortlisted as a finalist, across a range of award categories.

Tickets for the CRA Awards 2025 are still available at: www.cra.org.uk/events-calendar/cra-awards-2025/

Project Background

Pen Y Dre High School is a refurbishment project delivered by principle contractor Morgan Sindall over 6 phases and is aimed at transforming existing school structures to meet modern standards, rather than demolish outdated structures. The project focuses on retrofitting and upgrading existing buildings to reduce embodied carbon that comes with demolition of concrete structures. Beton Bauen specifically joined the project in 2023, as a specialist sub contractor, with a focus on the concrete structure included in Phases 3 & 4 of the works.

A key objective was to remain as close to carbon neutral as possible. Once complete Pen Y Dre High School would represent the first major school refurbishment project in operation within Wales to deliver net zero carbon, with a 20% reduction in embodied energy, using innovative retrofitting, renewable energy, and sustainable materials. The project is due to be completed by the end of the first quarter in 2026.

Robert Williams, Area Director from Morgan Sindall Construction in Wales said...

" This key milestone at Pen-y-Dre High School marks the culmination of an extraordinary three-year journey. This has been a truly pioneering project - the scale and complexity of delivering such a comprehensive transformation within a live school environment cannot be overstated, and our teams have responded with exceptional skill and dedication throughout. What makes this project especially significant is the legacy it leaves behind - not only are we creating a world-class educational facility for future generations, but we're also setting a powerful example of how sustainable refurbishment can dramatically reduce carbon impact, preserve valued community assets, and deliver meaningful benefits for the local economy"

Further Reading A SUSTAINABLE, PIONEERING, NET ZERO CARBON REFURBISHMENT OF PEN-Y-DRE HIGH SCHOOL, MERTHYR TYDFIL For further details and to download the PDF Mini Case Study concerning "Pen Y Dre High School", click here or click on the thumbnail image. For further project and service information, please visit WWW.BETONBAUEN.COM.