Cottrell & Vermeulen Architecture have had a close working relationship with Westborough Primary School for more than 15 years and have designed many of the buildings which now make up the school campus including the multi-award winning ‘Cardboard Building’. The recently completed ‘Zero Carbon Refurbishment’ project has been funded by Southend Council’s Primary Capital Programme and builds on the school managements’ progressive sustainable approach to their school. It aims to provide a testbed for ways of refurbishing older school buildings in a sustainable manner and providing a model for future projects throughout the country. The target is for a 90% reduction in carbon emissions for the newly refurbished areas of the school. The location for the majority of the work is the school’s Edwardian red-brick main building. The school buildings have been re-ordered, generally refurbished and modernised to current academic requirements. Windows have been replaced with highly insulating glazing, wall insulation has been improved, photo-voltaics have been introduced on the roof of a new canopied walkway around the building perimeter and a bio-mass boiler now provides the school with space heating. New systems throughout the school allow the schools energy use and carbon emissions to be monitored. The main school entrance has been redesigned to accommodate a new reception and waiting area with improved access. In the school playground new shed structures have been designed for play and storage.