PTE has received planning for a new school development for Westbrook Primary School in the London Borough of Hounslow. The school, which lies under the Heathrow flight path, presents a particular challenge in its need both to provide substantial acoustic protection and achieve ambitious sustainability targets, which rule out many traditional acoustic solutions such as mechanical cooling. PTE’s unique solution has been to install a low-cost earth tube system which draws fresh air remotely from the building, making it unnecessary to open windows for ventilation. Westbrook Primary School is one of a number of school designs in Hounslow developing noise mitigation strategies to help the council tackle the significant aircraft noise which can impair educational development, particularly reading skills, in children of primary school age. The new development will allow the school to increase its accommodation from two- to three-form entry in a phased construction programme during which the school will remain fully occupied.