New Reading School is Highly Commended in National Awards

A NEW school that opened in February has been highly commended in an award ceremony for community buildings.

Hamilton School, on Bulmershe Road, replaced Phoenix College on Christchurch Road, and is operated by the Maiden Erlegh Trust.

The £8 million school, part funded by Reading Borough Council and the Department for Education, was celebrated in the Society for Public Architecture, Construction, Engineering and Surveying (SPACES) awards.

Delivered by Reading Council’s Property & Assets Education Development Team, in partnership with Hampshire County Council, the new school is a conversion and refurbishment of a 1970s concrete- framed office building.

The brief was to re-house the school to a purpose-made facility that combines comfort, environmental performance and robustness, in a space which also felt homely and non-institutional.

Ruth McEwan, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Councillor for Education and Public Health, was delighted.

“Children and young people at Hamilton School have very challenging events of trauma or personal situations, and complex needs as a result,” she said.

“It was wonderful to see them move into their brand-new home at Bulmershe Road earlier this year, which offers them the possibility to enjoy practical subjects that were just not possible in their old building due to its limitations.

“Huge congratulations to everybody involved in this project.”

She added: “The creation of a new home for Hamilton School sits within the Council’s wider special educational needs strategy to support some of Reading’s most vulnerable pupils. The strategy will also see proposals being developed for more specialist SEN units, and an overall increase in the number of Early Years SEN places being offered.”

And Jonathon Peck, Chief Executive Officer, Maiden Erlegh Trust, said it was delighted that students and staff have a building they can be proud of, with new facilities designed around their needs.

“The fact that Hamilton School was awarded with a special commendation at the national Spaces award event last week is testament to the hard work put in by the design team and staff that worked on the project,” he said.

“Maiden Erlegh Trust is committed to delivering ‘opportunity, diversity and success for all’ and I would like to thank the huge team of people that worked so hard to get this project over the line.”

Brian Grady, Interim Director of Children’s Services and Director of Education at Brighter Futures for Children, said: “This project has made a huge difference to everyone at Hamilton School as it has created a modern, comfortable environment which is much more suitable for pupils to learn and develop.

“The new Hamilton School building is a landmark project in Reading’s strategy to provide more quality local school places for children and young people with additional needs and is worthy of the national recognition it is has received.”

 

Source: RDG.Today

 

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Improved Environment Following £3.7m Upgrade

DIAMOND BUILD COMPLETES PRIMARY SCHOOL UPGRADE

Primary school pupils and staff will benefit from an improved environment following a £3.7m refurbishment delivered by Diamond Build PLC.

The works were completed at Chestnuts Primary School in Tottenham on behalf of Haringey Council. The project has added two new classrooms to the site and enhanced the exterior of the school’s main building with new windows and a refurbished roof. Brickwork has also been repaired by the Diamond Build team.

Inside the school, the heating and water system has been upgraded to improve energy efficiency which is further enhanced through new loft insulation. New emergency lighting, fire alarms, data cabling have also been installed along with decoration throughout.

Stuart Darwin, Senior Site Manager for Diamond Build PLC, said: “This was a logistically challenging project as the majority of the works were delivered while the school was open and at one point in the programme, all areas had to remain accessible.

“As the school only had one classroom available for decanting, we constructed the two new classrooms first. These were situated within an existing sports hall and completed over two weekends. This work enabled the pupils to move from the building’s first floor into the new classrooms and for us to safely proceed with the rest of the works while minimising disruption.”

Formed in 2004, Chestnuts Primary can accommodate 420 boys and girls.

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£15.8m School Project Taking Shape

A £15.8m project to build a new state-of-the-art school for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is taking shape within the grounds of the existing Valley School in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.

Pupils from the Valley School joined county councillors and project officers to get up close to the construction of their new school – which is due to be completed in the Autumn term next year (October 2023).

This substantial development forms part of Hertfordshire County Council’s planned investment in SEND, which equates to more than £50m over the next three years.

 

Cllr Terry Douris, Executive Member for Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “The new building and facilities for this school reflects our commitment to making sure that every child and young person continues to have access to a good school, where they can be supported to achieve their full potential.

“We have used the opportunity of the new build to increase the number of places available, helping us to meet the increasing need for special education in Hertfordshire and make sure that children and young people are receiving the right support, at the right time, in the right place. It’s a fantastic investment for the young people of Hertfordshire and I pay my thanks to everyone who has been involved.”

 

On the day, six pupils from the school mingled with county councillors who’d had a role in planning and allocating the funding required to invest in Stevenage’s new SEND school, as well as project officers and architects. The children pointed out the foundations of their new classrooms and shared their excitement about their new school.

 

David Pearce, Headteacher at The Valley School, told those attending the event how the building project has become a source of excitement and inspiration for the children. “The children are watching the time-lapse cameras and looking through the viewing panels, seeing their new school being built. They’re looking forward to November when they’ll be able to see the frame going up and the school taking shape – they’re already talking about where their classrooms will be, and their chance to visit the site and the project team.

“It’s really exciting for the students and the whole of the school community.  As the head teacher it is amazing to be able to complement our high-quality teaching with a learning environment that our young people can really enjoy. It is very special. This is giving the students, teachers and support staff the best of the best and they absolutely deserve it!”

 

The Valley School buildings had originally been designed to be used by a mainstream secondary school, which then became a SEND school in 1991.

“The current building is coming to the end of its serviceable life, with maintenance costs increasing,” explains Cllr Bob Deering, Cabinet Member for Resources at Hertfordshire County Council. “This is why we took this opportunity to invest in a new purpose-built school suitable for children with SEND which, through its enhanced environmental credentials, will be much more sustainable and efficient to run and maintain in the future.”

In addition to being built according to the latest guidelines from the Department for Education, the new special school also reflects Hertfordshire County Council’s wider commitment to sustainable, responsible growth in Hertfordshire.

Once built, the new school will be net zero carbon in operation, will generate its own electricity onsite and will only use electricity. It will also help to enhance local biodiversity through the installation of bat and bird boxes and green roofs.

The overall presentation of the new, single-storey building will also be more in keeping with the local environment than the existing school. Its green roofs and sunken location in the shallow valley means that the building will blend into its natural surroundings.

The new purpose-built school has been designed through ongoing consultation with teaching staff, to meet the needs of the current Valley School pupils.

During the pandemic, classes had been grouped together in their school years; this was found to be advantageous to supporting the children more closely. This has now become a dominant design feature, with the year group pods situated around two central courtyards – each with their own toilets and areas for group work. There is also a high-ceilinged multi-use space the school can use for sports, dining and drama.

 

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Abbey Farm Educate Together Primary School completed on the  DfE’s Offsite Schools Framework  

Work has completed on Abbey Farm Educate Together Primary School in North Swindon. The school was delivered by vertically integrated offsite construction specialist Reds10.

Reds10 was appointed by the Department for Education (DfE) as principal contractor to design and build the school, which is part of the DfE’s four-year £3 billion ‘Offsite Schools Framework’ and will be run by the Educate Together Academy Trust.

The Offsite Schools Framework was established in 2020 as part of the Government’s drive for greater adoption of MMC to modernise the industry and increase efficiencies, cost savings and innovation within capital building programmes.

The construction of Abbey Farm ET Primary School began in May 2021, and the new building has opened its doors in September 2022, catering to 460 pupils from the local community. Located off Lady Lane, the school is set on a 4.6-acre site and is part of a wider residential-led mixed-use development by Redrow. One of the stand-out achievements of the project is that the building was designed as net-zero carbon in operation ahead of the DfE’s sustainability Output Specification (S21) official launch. S21 was introduced under the new construction framework in November 2021, calling for all new school buildings in England to reach net zero operational carbon.

MMC directly benefits the delivery of school construction projects, through reduced embodied carbon, quicker delivery programmes and less trades on site, which minimises disruption. Reds10 completed the majority of the school building offsite in its factory. In fact, the project achieved 87% pre-manufactured value (PMV), which is 2% higher than their commitment on the framework, alongside minimal waste through the use of MMC with 90% diverted to landfill, and over 100% reduction in carbon emissions under Part L2A building regulation standards for energy efficiency.

The building, which is net zero carbon in design, includes enhanced sustainability features such as air source heat pumps and photovoltaics, both mechanical and natural ventilation to maintain excellent internal air quality, aluminium door and window frames made from recycled materials, GIFA floorboards with 50% recycled content and timber cladding, which is inherently lower in embodied carbon. Using ThriveTM, its SMART building technology, Reds10 is able to analyse energy usage and production, generating accurate data to ensure that the building is operated at maximum energy efficiency going forward.

 

  Nikki Buglass, Trust Development and Marketing Manager at Educate Together Academy Trust, said: “Abbey Farm ET Primary School has been in the pipeline for several years and it’s amazing to see this wonderful space about to open its doors to pupils. Reds10 have been instrumental in making this happen and their commitment to it has been incredible. In comparison to projects I am running in tandem, the modular nature of the build has reduced disruption to delivery, with regards to materials and labour shortages and time lost to inclement weather. The quality of the build is fantastic, with several of my subcontractors and the Fire Safety Officer, commenting on the excellent standard of work. What struck me the most was their process – it seems like yesterday that the site was just a field and now here we are with a finished building. The pace has been simply breath-taking.”

 

Joe Shepherd, Education Sector Lead at Reds10, said: “As Abbey Farm Educate Together Primary School welcomes pupils for the new school year from September, it is an exciting milestone for us, being our first school to be completed for the Department of Education’s Off-site Schools Framework. It shows that successful delivery of sustainable school buildings at pace and to budget is possible, through harnessing the power of MMC. As project lead, we were able to collaborate closely with the DfE, local authorities, stakeholders and the design team to bring to the fore the full potential of what MMC can offer to deliver a modern, sustainable and nurturing learning environment for pupils to enjoy for many years to come. Abbey Farm ET Primary School sets a new standard of performance for school buildings and we are proud of our central role in delivering the next generation of off-site schools.”

 

 

Claire Wakelin, Head of Education at HLM Architects, which designed the new school building, said: “We’re very proud to have been the lead designer for this fantastic new school. The school engagement process took place during the 2020 lockdown but, using our digital tools and consultation experience, we were able to quickly form close working relationships with the DfE and Trust teams. Our strategic design approach was centred on the creation of a high-quality, safe and secure environment for pupils, maximising the opportunity for learning and socialising. Biodiversity was also a major inspiration, resulting in an environment that seamlessly integrates into the surrounding landscape.”

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Builder to the Rescue

SRM Construction Services said it was officially awarded the project last month after two weeks of discussions with the school’s project management team.

 

Sam Madill, director of the firm, said: “We knew we had to move quickly, so we immediately visited the site to ascertain what works were outstanding and what condition the buildings had been left in.”From these initial reviews, it was clear that a short-term intensive programme would be required to get the school back operational as soon as possible. As always, safety was a major factor, and we took pains to balance the required speed of movement with all the proper safeguards.”We then moved swiftly to re-appoint management teams and subcontractors who were previously involved on the project.”We have great working relationships with our supply chain partners and fortunately a lot of them were already working on these projects.”This meant the trust was already there to support them re-engaging with and completing the works even though some of these suppliers had suffered financially from the first phase of work.”Every job is important to us at SRM, but projects where we can have a positive impact on communities and help support education for future generations gives us a special sense of satisfaction.”

Source: Express & Star

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When is a school, not a school?

Cost effective roof drainage & eaves solutions – top marks for aluminium

When it’s a building site.

Two of the primary aims of our education system in the UK are:
• comprehensive learning
•  safety
Alutec will now consider the impact something as simple as building material choice could have on the learning environment.

 

From the perspective of teaching practice, distraction is recognised as one of the main barriers to effective learning. If would be fair to assume the noise and disruption created by the presence of access equipment, drilling, cutting, hammering, would be detrimental to the students learning experience. You could therefore argue in favour of materials with a long-life expectancy that limits the frequency of such distraction.

An educator’s duty of care to student has gained prominence over the last couple of decades too. Building sites are one of the most hazardous places to work in the UK (even without the presence of young children), therefore valuable money that could be spent on labour and materials are being sacrificed to provide equipment to keep students safe during building works. This again argues in favour of materials requiring little or minimum maintenance. With a functional life expectancy of 50 years, Aluminium is that material.

So, we have established how the durability of material such as aluminium could contribute to reducing the disruption and potential hazards that maintenance, planned or otherwise, can have on the learning environment. Does this mean specifying aluminium eaves products compromises choice for designers striving to either reinstate or modernise their school building stock? Not at all.
At Urmston Grammar School in Manchester, the existing eaves system was a combination of dated cast iron and faded PVC systems, both subject to different cyclical maintenance programmes. They were replaced with Evoke Type B fascia and soffit system in RAL 9010 white colour and Evolve Ogee gutter and 76mm Flushfit downpipes in a textured black finish to reinstate the appearance of the existing cast iron – the entire eaves is no longer subject to ongoing cyclical maintenance in the short/medium term.

In the case of St Michael’s Primary School in Southfields, London, the rainwater specification initially called for aluminium gutters attached to timber fascia at three story height. However, after consulting with Alutec’s technical team and weighing up the cost of scaffolding, the architect at Wandsworth Council decided to opt for products from Alutec’s Evoke fascia and soffit range instead to maximise the longevity of the system as a whole. Why install a gutter with a function life expectancy of 50 years onto a timber fascia which will need repainting in ten to fifteen years?
Designers can also take advantage of other possibilities aluminium rainwater systems make available to them, for example ‘Secured by design’ – vandal resistant downpipes which cannot be pulled off the wall or climbed can be used to fortify and discourage vandalism or trespass on school premises.

Sometimes designers also are faced with hazards present within the existing building, for example asbestos. Built in the 1950s, South Holderness Technical College was constructed with a flat roof using asbestos cement roof decking popular at that time. The roofing system used continuous asbestos cement sheets to form both the internal ceiling finish and the external soffits, so removal of these boards was not a practical option. Working with the local County Council, Alutec came up with the solution to encapsulate the asbestos using its Evoke fascia and soffit system. One of the main challenges was designing a system that could span distances up to 2 metres without the need to fix into the asbestos substrate, instead fixing into the existing secondary timber and window heads.

Choosing durable eaves products can limit the distraction and hazards caused by maintenance leaving more time and money for learning.

For assistance with your project,

CLICK HERE to email us or call 01234 359438,

CLICK HERE to visit the Marley Alutec website

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CELEBRATING A ‘TRULY FANTASTIC BUILDING’

Overdale Primary School in Eastfield, Scarborough, has  celeberated the opening of their purpose-built, £6m building with the local community.  it opened to pupils in September, but due to Covid the primary postponed their official opening celebrations until restrictions had fully ended.

On Tuesday last week the celebration fianally took place, before an audience of children, parents, governors, local councillors and other guests.

Children from different year groups helped cut the green ribbons at the entrance of the purpose-built facility and provided a concert at the front of the building. It included singing the “Overdale Song”, written by children about the school’s “Three Rs” of respect, responsibility and resilience.

The new building has an emphasis on flexible use of space and outdoor learning, with a building designed to provide maximum air and light into classrooms.

It is fitted with ventilation monitoring systems in all classrooms was designed to take account of staff wishes for spacious classrooms and a hall fit for whole-school events.

School meals are a critical part of the school day and the central hall is big enough to allow all the children to sit down together and enjoy a meal at lunchtime.

The building also includes more flexible break out areas for small group learning interventions.

Outdoors are two football pitches, a rounders pitch and one-mile running track, along with an environmental area and quite place with bug hotels, logs and other features.

The school has double the capacity of the old building on its former site and its new location provides a link between the older parts of Eastfield and the new housing developments in Middle Deepdale to the north.

North Yorkshire County Council opened this new landmark school at the beginning of the school year to provide places for up to 420 children plus a nursery and community facilities.

Overdale’s Chair of Governors, Peter Bowdidge-Harling, helped children with the ribbon cutting at the opening ceremony this week.

He has served on the school’s governing body for 22 years and has been chair for 18-years. He said the creation of the new school building had been a huge achievement involving many different people and organisations over the past decade and would benefit children’s wellbeing, attendance, learning and attainment.

Headteacher Vicki Logan, said the building fit perfectly with the needs of the school and its children.

“It is a truly fantastic building,” she said.

“I’m really grateful to the architects and builders, Walter Thompson, they allowed me to have such a big say in the design, it’s pretty much perfect in terms of what we wanted the building to do.

“There were many challenges along the way with Covid and other issues impacting building, but the result is amazing. From the smaller details – such as not having toilets for early years and Key Stage 1 on the corridor, but next to the classroom so you don’t have five-year-olds wondering corridors on their own – to features such as an amazing outdoor space. It makes it a learning space for children.”

The project has been funded jointly through our capital funds and contributions from the housing developers Kebbell Homes and Keepmoat Ltd. The principal contractors were Walter Thompson Ltd and the design consultants Align Property Partners.

Executive Member for Education and Skills, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, said: “We’re pleased Overdale Primary School were able to have a day to celebrate their fantastic new school.

“This new facility will allow children in Scarborough to explore their potential and allow staff to support and inspire pupils in their learning.”

Source: North Yorkshire City Council

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Alleviating Pressures Caused by Temporary Teaching Facilities

Spaciotempo hold key to alleviate pressures faced by Education Sector with temporary teaching facilities.

As the new Spring term rolls around and exams are set to take place back on academic grounds for the first time in 2 years, it might be time to put plans in place now for the 2022 exam season – taking place this Summer.
As academic institutions recover in a post-pandemic World, they might discover that they desperately need additional space on site to successfully accommodate such activities. That’s where Spaciotempo can provide a lending hand.
Not only can they install temporary exam halls, but temporary & semi-permanent classrooms, sports halls, auditoriums and so much more. Each and every build can be produced bespoke and provides the potential to be reused or redefined for further use.
Spaciotempo also recognise that existing buildings on campus require a little TLC from time to time – whether it be because of refurbishment, building works or even fire – but also that continuity and routine must endure for the benefit of learning. As the buildings are surface mounted, they can be erected and in-use in a matter of weeks rather than months, ensuring classroom lessons and extra-curricular activities can continue unaffected.
Not only can a Spaciotempo structure be rapidly installed, but it can also be much more cost effective than a traditional building and is typically 1/3rd of the cost, freeing up funds to be spent elsewhere in the institution. For example, a 15 x 30m sports hall could be yours from as little £935 a week + VAT.

Daz Logan, Managing Director of Spaciotempo UK, re-affirmed the businesses’ commitment to academic institutions by highlighting the importance of their recovery.

“Education across the UK has already been greatly impacted over the past 3 or 4 years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and we can play a part in helping academic institutions get set for a brighter future. The way we can do that is by providing much needed infrastructure that is both cost effective and rapidly installed, whatever the requirements.”
He added “We have 50 years’ worth of experience and expertise and can provide quality facilities ranging from temporary classrooms to indoor swimming pools, complete with interior fit out as we have delivered time and time again in the past.”

…Funding…
Furthermore, in partnership with Schools Finance Direct, Spaciotempo can help you explore the relevant finance options, provide clear written finance quotations, create a work plan and support and assist you through the whole process.
Schools Finance Direct can provide solutions that meet the complex conditions concerning operating leases and are able to finance temporary buildings for education from £80k up to £2m on plans from 2-7 years.

www.spaciotempo.co.uk

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Rubb achieves greater heights

Rubb Buildings Ltd was selected to design, manufacture and construct a 40m wide x 55m long steel and fabric clad Sport Arena for the University of York.

The indoor multi sports facility features an apex height of 13.4m and an internal clear centre height of 11.9m. The Mansard, multi-pitch roof provides an internal volume of playing space at 20,600m3.

The sports building includes a central, premier standard, multi-sports court for recreational and performance level basketball, netball, badminton, futsal and volleyball.

 

 

The area can be divided into three sections with vertical partitions, which can each accommodate a basketball or volleyball court or up to four badminton courts. The facility can also be transformed to create a full hall show court for all sports including basketball, which will be supported by drop-down basketball nets and three scoreboards.

 

 

 

The 6.7m high sidewalls and end gables feature 80mm thick steel cladding, and Rubb’s Thermohall® insulated fabric membrane completes the roof of the facility.

Rubb’s brief was to provide a sports structure with a greater internal height clearance than an existing Rubb sports building. This would help the university achieve its aim of hosting more competitive sports events within the facility, with the main emphasis on badminton.

The sports building also includes a storage room for sports equipment. One main glass panel entrance door, six double pedestrian doors and one 4m x 4m roller shutter door provide access and egress to the sports hall. A dividing partition has been constructed between the playing area and the viewing walkway. A high level, gas fired heating system and LED lighting system, both designed to Sport England specifications is installed in the sports facility.

www.rubbuk.com

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ZENTIA CEILINGS HELP WITH THE A to Z

Education is returning to its rightful place on the national agenda now steps are being taken to improve access, outcomes and opportunities for children across the UK as they return to school in the post Covid era.

 

 While the emphasis has traditionally been on resources and teaching quality, the role of the immediate environment is becoming even more important in helping students learn in spaces where the focus is now more than ever on wellbeing, with acoustics, light reflectance, low VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and cleanability at the forefront.

 

 Here Zentia looks at how the specification of appropriate ceiling systems have helped two very different schools with their requirements.

 

Morley Meadows

 

A new school for a new community in Plymouth has relied on Zentia’s ceiling solutions for delivering both form and function.

Some 1,200m2 of Zentia’s Perla OP 0.95 Tegular 600mm x 600mm tiles, which were the first mineral tile in the world to win Cradle to Cradle status, feature in the classrooms, offices, stores and communal areas at state-of-the-art Morley Meadows primary school.

Part of Persimmon Homes’ Saltram Meadows development in Plymstock, the £5.8 million primary school also features Zentia’s 100% humidity resistant Hydroboard 600mm x 600mm tiles with Prelude 24 non-corrosive grid in the kitchen, showers, toilets and changing areas.

Designed by Stride Treglown architects, and delivered by main contractor Halsall Construction, the two-form entry school accommodates 420 pupils, with part of it able to be cordoned off so it can be used by other community groups out of hours.

Specialist sub-contractor Vizion Interiors had a team of up to 10 on site for eight months, installing a total of 1,650m2 of the Zentia products on ceilings, that in the main part, unusually, sloped to degrees of 35° to mimic the sloping roof.

For form, the Perla OP 0.95 tile features a smooth, low-gloss monolithic visual with best-in-class fully painted edges for additional aesthetics as well as durability. The tile also features high light reflectance (up to 86%) to reduce reliance on artificial light and Class A acoustic performance to sound absorption 0.95αw.

For function, as well as its Cradle to Cradle certification, Perla OP 0.95 also provides optimum indoor air quality (due to ultra-low A+ VOC emissions) and is manufactured from up to 64% recycled content and fully recyclable.

Hydroboard also features Class A acoustic performance to sound absorption 0.95αw and light reflectance of 82%.

Vizion Interiors’ contracts manager Andy West said: “The Zentia products were already specified but we would have put them forward regardless because they are superior products which are more readily available, and we have a fantastic working relationship with the area sales manager.

“They had to perform both aesthetically and acoustically and we also promoted the Cradle to Cradle factor as well as the long-term potential recycling benefits. They look fantastic. The grid coped with the design magnificently and the client and local authority have all commented very positively.”

He added: “This project was challenging due to the design and numerous clashes on site with other trades. Setting out was laborious as all the classrooms had to follow the raking roof pitch but in the end it was effective.”

 

Adam Church, director in charge at Persimmon Homes Cornwall, said: “Saltram Meadow is a major development which has already rejuvenated the area. As well as delivering much-needed homes, we are committed to providing the infrastructure essential for building a community for new residents and a key part of that is the school. The building offers an exceptional learning environment for the children living on the development.”

The distributor for Morley Meadows primary school was SIG Plymouth.

 

Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg

 

A plethora of Zentia products met a multitude of challenges at a redeveloped Welsh school.

Five square-edged mineral products from Zentia were used on the £20 million regeneration of Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg school in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, that included additional BB93 accommodation for 300 pupils.

The modernisation and upgrade of facilities at the school saw the construction of five new extensions, including a design and technology teaching block, a new sports hall, and a reception area and dining hall.

Zentia’s Perla tiles, which feature light reflectance of 86%, were used in the corridors and circulation spaces while sister Perla dB tiles, which perform to sound absorption Class C, featured in the classrooms.

Antimicrobial Bioguard Acoustic tiles, which also perform to sound absorption Class C, were used in the food technology classrooms, and Bioguard tiles, which can be used in clean rooms with ISO 5 classification in accordance with ISO 14644-1:1999, in the kitchens. Finally, Hydroboard tiles, which are 100% humidity resistant and perform to sound absorption Class A, were used with a Prelude non-corrosive suspension grid in the changing rooms and toilets.

They were selected by Austin Smith Lord architects, who have specified Zentia many times before for school projects, as they met the aesthetic and acoustic requirements of this particular 11,000m2 steel-framed scheme.

Architect Matthew Wray said: “Our valued client, Vale of Glamorgan County Council, was extremely happy with the project overall and it’s something we’re really proud of.”

Specialist sub-contractor Richard Kemble Contracts, who are a member of Zentia’s Pinnacle partnership scheme, had a team of up to 10 working on site, installing a total of 7,168m2 of Zentia products, for 28 months.

 

Richard Kemble said: “This project was challenging as we were just starting when the pandemic hit which caused materials and labour shortages. It was also part phased refurbishment and that meant working around the school children and teachers during term time.”

He added: “Zentia provided technical backup as some classrooms needed to have additional acoustic rating so further calculations were carried out and the Perla dB tile was specified and used in the majority of classrooms to maintain the optimum levels of acoustic performance.”

 

Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg brings to life the school’s vision to create an exemplar environment on a single campus, where pupils start primary school and finish sixth form all within one site. IT and the remodelled sixth-form area are now at the heart of the school, promoting Welsh language learning post-16.

Main contractor ISG won the contract on the influential SEWSCAP capital works framework as part of the Welsh government’s 21st Century Schools and Colleges Programme, designed to transform and upgrade the country’s education estate.

Externally, ISG delivered six new multi-use games areas and a floodlit 3G all-weather rugby sports pitch, which is available for community use out of school hours.

Zoe Price, group director for public sector frameworks at ISG, explained: “Important capital frameworks like SEWSCAP provide the space and early involvement that enables contractors to problem solve creatively and develop innovative solutions that prove transformative to programmes, budgets and social value outcomes for our local communities.”

Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg won a ‘Highly Commended’ across the Value and Sustainability categories in the 2021 Constructing Excellence Wales awards. It was also a finalist in the Digital Construction and Innovation awards. The Vale of Glamorgan were also a finalist in the ‘Client of the Year’ award category and the council’s 21st Century Schools programme was also a finalist in the Integration and Collaborative Working and Value’ categories.

The distributor for Ysgol bro Morganwgg was SIG Cardiff.

 

www.zentia.com

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