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Fife College’s Dunfermline Learning Campus is the first tertiary education project delivered under the Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard (NZPSBS), setting a benchmark for how operational and embodied carbon targets can be measured, verified and achieved within the education sector.
As a Pathfinder project for the Scottish Government, the campus exemplifies how public sector buildings can achieve ambitious sustainability objectives without compromising functionality, user experience or long-term performance.
The project demanded a high level of technical and environmental accountability, with interior systems required to meet defined acoustic performance criteria while being supported by verifiable, product-specific sustainability data.
The brief required systems that could maximise daylight and visual connectivity while maintaining acoustic separation across a diverse range of teaching and specialist environments. At the same time, every product needed to contribute demonstrably to the project’s embodied carbon targets through transparent, independently verified environmental data.
LocationFife, Scotland
ArchitectReiach & Hall
ContractorBalfour Beatty
The Solution
Optima delivered the glazed partitioning package across Levels 0–3 under full design responsibility, coordinating system selection, detailing and performance requirements to support both the architectural vision and the project’s Pathfinder reporting obligations.
A combination of Optima 117 Plus, Revolution 100 double-glazed partitions and Edge Symmetry single-glazed doors was used to achieve a range of acoustic performances across the scheme, supporting the differing functional requirements of teaching, collaboration and specialist learning spaces.
Sustainability was embedded at product level. All aluminium systems utilised low embodied carbon aluminium containing a minimum of 75% post-consumer recycled content, supported by independently verified environmental data. Every system was backed by third-party verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), enabling full transparency and alignment with NZPSBS requirements.
Bespoke manifestation graphics inspired by Fife’s local heritage were integrated throughout the scheme, helping to reinforce the campus identity while contributing to the overall architectural language.
Outcome
Delivered within a six-month programme, the project achieved a high-quality, virtually snag-free installation that successfully balanced technical performance with architectural intent.
The campus achieved an embodied carbon figure of 601 kg CO₂e/m², outperforming the original target of 650 kg CO₂e/m². Verified EPD data and low embodied carbon materials across the project supported transparent measurement and reporting against NZPSBS requirements.
As a Pathfinder project, the scheme demonstrates how interior systems can play a meaningful role in net-zero delivery. By combining verified environmental data, high acoustic performance and long-term architectural quality, the project illustrates how sustainability objectives can be integrated into the fabric of a building rather than treated as an additional requirement.
