Hounsome Fields School in Basingstoke is a new two-form entry (2FE) primary school designed to accommodate 420 pupils, with potential to extend to over 600, and built to address the increasing demand for school places in the town. The project is a collaboration between Hampshire County Council, Willmott Dixon (Main Contractor), and Hampshire County Council Architecture and is a significant development for the community. A key feature of the school's design is its commitment to PassivHaus principles, ensuring a highly energy-efficient and comfortable learning environment. In order to achieve the PassivHaus standard, the Streif system was specified by the architect.

A testament to our System

Hounsome Fields School stands as a testament to our fully engineered, structural “timber first” solution. As a leading timber frame solutions provider, Streif provided the core of this innovative approach, delivering several significant benefits to the project:

  • Sustainability: Our timber-first system eradicates the use of high CO2 emissions cement and minimises the reliance on steel. This aligns perfectly with modern sustainable building practices, and our system significantly reduced the project’s environmental footprint.
  • Performance: The Streif system is meticulously designed and engineered to meet the most stringent energy, acoustic, fire, and strength ratings. This ensures a safe, comfortable, and high-performing building, with our components contributing directly to the school’s exceptional energy efficiency and indoor environment quality. For this project, the building achieved an excellent air tightness result of 0.17 ACH @ 50 Pa 
  • Efficiency: The pre-engineered nature of the Streif timber system was instrumental in achieving faster construction times. The remarkably quick handover of our system (September 2024 start, January 2025 handover) clearly demonstrates the efficiency gains realised through our offsite manufacturing approach.

A need for a new school

The need for Hounsome Fields School arose from an anticipated surge in demand for primary school places in Basingstoke, driven by the 750-home Hounsome Fields development and the 1000-home Basingstoke Golf Course development. Our role was to provide the structural backbone for a school that could be delivered efficiently to meet this urgent community need.

Challenges and Streif’s Solutions:

The primary challenge for the county Council was to deliver a high-quality, sustainable school efficiently to meet the rapid growth in the local area. The selection of the PassivHaus standard and the Streif system provided the optimal solution:

  • PassivHaus: Our timber frame system is inherently suited to achieving the rigorous PassivHaus standard. This ensures a future-proof, low-energy building with excellent indoor air quality and thermal comfort, reducing long-term operational costs and providing a superior learning environment. Our precision-engineered panels and airtight construction techniques were key to this achievement.
  • Offsite Manufacturing (Streif): The use of our prefabricated timber system significantly reduced on-site construction time, minimised waste, and allowed for greater quality control. Having less people on site for a shorter time also minimised the health and safety risks within the site. This was crucial in helping the project meet its tight deadlines and ensuring a high-quality finished product.

Outcome and Impact:

Upon its opening in September 2025, Hounsome Fields School will provide essential primary education for the growing community of Basingstoke. Our contribution, through the Streif timber frame system, was fundamental in achieving the school’s PassivHaus certification, underscoring a commitment to environmental responsibility and providing a healthy, comfortable, and energy-efficient learning space for hundreds of pupils. This project stands as a prime example of how Streif’s sustainable construction methods can effectively address pressing community needs while minimising environmental impact.