New environmentally friendly buildings for two midland primary schools are being constructed in a pioneering €5.4 million Government project.
The buildings will use considerably less energy than traditional school buildings and will take account of the environmental impact of their construction materials, according to the Department of Education.
Each of the schools, Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada, Tullamore, and Raheen NS, Co Laois, will be designed to show how energy can be conserved in the Irish climate.
The Minister for Education and Science, Dr Woods, said yesterday he had secured €300,000 from the Irish Energy Centre towards the cost of the Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada building.
The Minister said the eight-classroom school would be "an exemplar of modern design incorporating many innovative energy saving and renewable energy features which will enable it to operate with a very low energy requirement and no CO2 emissions".
The buildings will also act as a research project to analyse the performance of low energy designs and provide information for further projects of this type.
Several environmentally friendly features are incorporated in the design of the schools, including improved insulation, quality natural lighting and ventilation, and the use of materials which will have minimum effect on the environment.
As well as its overall design, there are several other factors relating to the low-energy performance of the building. These include underfloor heating, individual room controls, timber frames, a rainwater recovery system, high-frequency lighting, and advanced lighting controls.
The principal of Raheen National School, Mr Seán Mac Gearailt, said the project had been about five or six years in development. He said work on the site of the €2.1 million three-classroom school started in early January.
Its contractors are FC Murray and Sons, Ballybrit, Roscrea, Co Tipperary.
As well as its environmental benefits, the new school had benefits for the students' education, said Mr Mac Gearailt.
The current school was "very congested and restrictive" - conditions endured by the thee teachers and 70 students for many years.
The new school will be 500 metres from the existing structure.
Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada is a €3.3 million, eight-classroom, school.
The contractor is Portcastle Builders Ltd, Castletowngeoghan, Co Westmeath.
Mr Tom Moloney, chairman of the gaelscoil's board of management, said the building would be advantageous for the school's teachers and approximately 200 students.
The school's eight teachers, one administrative principal and a special needs teacher it shared with another school, would enjoy better work conditions, he said.
These included "more room, better lighting - rooms specially designed for teaching".
Teachers in the school were recently briefed by the Department of Education on the school's features. He said the schools appeared to be prototypes for future school buildings.