Teletubby-style huts are to be introduced at schools surrounding Heathrow after proving a big hit in Hounslow.
The first of the white, dome-shaped adobe shelters, which are made from earth, was built in 2011 at Hounslow Heath Infant and Nursery School, in Martindale Road, Hounslow.
The trial, partly funded by the airport, has proved such a success the buildings are now being rolled out to another 21 schools under the flight paths at a total cost of £1.8million. The huts, which can seat up to 30 youngsters each, allow pupils to enjoy learning outdoors by insulating them from the highly distracting noise of jets thundering just a few hundred feet overhead.
Kathryn Harper-Quinn, headteacher at Hounslow Heath, was so impressed with the original hut her school now has three, including one specially designed for science lessons.
"We're delighted with the buildings, which allow us to use our outdoor spaces much more for lessons," she said."This new scheme is a wonderful opportunity for other schools to enhance outdoor learning for pupils in the communities around Heathrow."
Studies at the school have shown pupils can recall facts from lessons inside the huts a third better than from those outside. Although Heathrow has provided schools around the airport with double-glazing and other noise insulation measures since 2005, teachers have frequently complained about how difficult it is to make the most of their outdoor space.
Airport chiefs believe the huts, based on NASA scientists' designs for human settlements on the moon, are a novel solution to the problem.
Heathrow's sustainability director Matt Gorman said: "We know aircraft noise has an impact on local communities. This new and innovative scheme has already proved a great success in providing pupils with noise respite and we hope all 21 schools will enjoy the buildings as much as Hounslow Heath has."
The huts will be funded at all schools which have already qualified for sound proofing under Heathrow's Community Buildings Noise Insulation Scheme, at a cost of £85,000 per school.
The Heathrow adobes, designed by Small Earth, are made using soil-filled tubes connected by barbed wire.
