Project Snapshot: Currie Community High School
- Location: Currie, Edinburgh, Scotland
- Client: City of Edinburgh Council
- Architect: Architype
- Structural Engineer: Goodson Associates
- Contractor: Kier Construction
- Project start: January 2023
- Completion: August 2025
- Product specified: Armatherm 500-490
- Units supplied: 79
- Total thermal break area: 9,183,300mm²
- Application: Column base connections between concrete pad foundations and steel framework
The Challenge: Passivhaus Standards for Scotland’s First Secondary School
Edinburgh set a target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030. The council backed the goal with sustainable development, upgraded public transport and energy-efficient building programmes across the city.
Currie Community High School sat at the centre of this plan. The rebuild aimed to make the school Scotland’s first secondary school built to Passivhaus standards, part of a wider council programme with 35 new schools in the pipeline under net zero design principles.
Passivhaus certification sets a strict bar. Heating demand must drop by at least 90% compared with a conventional building. Reaching this standard depends on a continuous, high-performance building envelope with no weak points for heat to escape. Column bases, where steel meets concrete, count among the most conductive junctions in a building structure and need a dedicated solution.
The Solution: Armatherm 500 at the Column Base Connections
Architype and Goodson Associates specified Armatherm 500 to address thermal bridging risk at the column bases. Steel and concrete both conduct heat well, so a direct connection between the two materials opens a fast path for heat loss. Armatherm 500 breaks this path while carrying the structural load transferred from the steel framework down through the foundations.
The team installed Armatherm 500-490 between the concrete pad foundations and the steel framework at every column base across the site. The build used 79 units, covering a total thermal break area of 9,183,300mm². Low thermal conductivity paired with high load-bearing capacity let the material hold the building’s continuous insulation line at each connection point, supporting the wider Passivhaus target for the envelope.
Why Armatherm 500
- Low thermal conductivity reduces heat transfer at steel-to-concrete connections
- High load-bearing capacity supports structural loads without compromising performance
- Reinforces continuous insulation across the building envelope
- Proven track record in Passivhaus and net zero building projects across the UK
The Outcome: Scotland’s First Passivhaus Secondary School
Currie Community High School opened to pupils in August 2025, becoming one of Scotland’s first secondary schools built to Passivhaus standards. The finished building cuts heating energy demand by up to 90% and total energy use by around 70%, directly supporting Edinburgh’s 2030 net zero target.
Beyond the classroom, the school operates as a shared hub for the wider community. A wellness centre, library and sports facilities, including a Passivhaus-standard swimming pool and a four-court sports hall, stay open to local residents outside school hours.
The project stands as an example for the council’s broader schools programme, with structural thermal breaks set to play a role in the 35 further net zero school builds planned across Edinburgh.
A Brief History of Currie Community High School
Education in Currie dates back to 1598, when local records first mention a schoolmaster paid by the town council. A dedicated school building opened on the site in 1699, and further schools followed as the community grew, with a fifth building serving pupils by 1920.
The school moved to its Dolphin Avenue site in 1966, opening as a six-year comprehensive school for pupils aged 11 to 18. Enrolment grew through the 1970s and 1980s as Currie developed into a commuter suburb of Edinburgh. In 1997, the school gained community status and became Currie Community High School, opening facilities such as the sports hall and swimming pool to local residents alongside pupils.
By the 2010s, the original 1966 building carried rising maintenance costs and struggled to meet modern teaching needs. A 2020 condition survey found repair costs would top £7 million, leading the council to plan a full rebuild rather than a refurbishment. Construction on the new Passivhaus building started in January 2023, with pupils moving into the finished school in August 2025.
Currie Community High School Project Team
- Architect: Architype
- Structural Engineer: Goodson Associates
- Contractor: Kier Construction
- Client: City of Edinburgh Council
- Thermal break supplier: Armatherm
Frequently Asked Questions
The number refers to the density grade within the Armatherm 500 range. Higher density grades carry greater compressive load, which suits heavy structural connections such as the column bases at Currie, where a multi-storey steel framework transfers significant weight down into the concrete pad foundations. Lower density grades in the same range work in lighter-load applications elsewhere in a building envelope.
Any building targeting Passivhaus certification with a steel-to-concrete structural connection needs a thermal break at the junction. Steel and concrete both transfer heat readily, so an unbroken connection between the two undermines the continuous insulation line the standard demands, regardless of building type or sector. Currie’s use case reflects a wider requirement across schools, offices and residential Passivhaus schemes with steel frames.
An untreated thermal bridge at a column base allows heat to escape through the structure, raising energy demand and pushing the building further from Passivhaus or Building Regulations targets. Left unresolved, the cold spot created at the junction also raises the risk of condensation and mould forming near the connection, a concern in occupied spaces such as classrooms where pupils and staff spend extended periods indoors.
