NEW TEACHING BLOCK AT THE CARLTON ACADEMY

Contractor Henry Brothers Midlands has handed over a new £2.7m teaching block at The Carlton Academy in Nottingham.

The two-storey extension features ten new classrooms on the first floor, with a drama studio, Sixth Form Study Centre, first aid room, toilets, changing facilities, and storage rooms on the ground floor.

Built for Carlton Academy, part of Redhill Academy Trust, and funded by Nottinghamshire County Council, the project also included additional car parking and a new external social space.

The design and build development was project managed by Pulse, with CPMG Architects the architect, Tunstall Smith King the consulting engineers and William Saunders the principal designer.

Ian Taylor, managing director of contractor Henry Brothers Midlands, said: “As specialists in the building of educational facilities, it’s been exciting for Henry Brothers Midlands to have been part of the team on this project at Carlton Academy. The new facilities are first class and I am sure they will benefit the students enormously in their learning.

“This project was on a very tight site, in a residential area, and I am proud of the way that Henry Brothers and others in the team successfully overcame these challenges during the construction phase to build this important and much-welcomed extension for the school.”

 

 

During the build phase on the steeply sloping site, some 2500m3 of earth was removed – enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Richard Pierpoint, Executive Head Teacher at The Carlton Academy, said: “We were delighted to secure the funding for this much needed facility and have worked in an outstanding partnership with the contractor. The new building sees the school able to meet the growing demand for secondary school places from within its catchment.

“As a growing, but still average size secondary school, we will continue to offer something very special for our students, both in terms of world class facilities, aligned to other significant investments in science and sport, as well as remaining able to know and support every child through their journey with us.”

Dan Mason, Senior Consultant at Pulse Consult, said: “The Carlton Academy School Key Stage 3-5 teaching block has been an outstanding project to be involved in and will provide an excellent facility for the school moving forwards. Pulse were appointed to provide project management, contract administration and cost consultancy services for the project. All of the members of the client and project team deserve a great deal of credit for what has been achieved, particularly given the challenges that everyone has faced during this year. The team from Henry Brothers have been a pleasure to work with and should be proud of the finished product that has been delivered.”

Alex Walker, associate group leader for CPMG Architects, said: “We’re pleased to have worked alongside Henry Brothers to expand Carlton Academy to ensure the school can maximise the educational use of every available space to provide top quality education.

“The pupils and staff can now benefit from a contained drama studio, additional classrooms and a car parking area, which has allowed the school to increase its capacity from 900 to 1,200 pupils.”

Henry Brothers Midlands, which is based in Beeston, undertook a number of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities during the 45-week build period, including talks about career opportunities in construction and the sponsorship of the school’s football kit.

Henry Brothers Midlands is part of The Henry Group, which comprises a number of manufacturing and construction sector companies, ranging from external construction through to interiors fit-out. In partnership with clients, it has a proven track record in education, defence, accommodation, commercial, industrial, transport and healthcare sectors.

For more information, visit www.henrybrothers.co.uk

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Rapid Ramp – School Access Ramps & Steps

Rapid Ramp, the UK’s leading modular ramp and step manufacturer continue to offer a nationwide supply and installation service.

 

Their modular products are available from stock with a fully adjustable design to provide access to various sized playground and school buildings, including modular classrooms.

Unlike wooden ramps and steps that will burn if exposed to fire, the Rapid Ramp system is non-combustible and can fully comply with building regulations.

Installations remain flexible with fitters often working during the holidays to accommodate around the teaching timetable. Plus, fitters can dismantle and remove existing wooden ramps.

An in-house designer creates 3D drawings with each quotation, and site surveys can be arranged.

 

 

 

Contact details:  E: sales@rapidramp.co.uk  –  T: 01424 714646  –  W: www.rapidramp.co.uk/education

 

 

 

 

 

 

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NEW £45 MILLION SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

The new £45 million School of Architecture and Built Environment at Wolverhampton University has been officially opened.

The new building is part of the university’s £120 million regeneration of the former Springfield brewery site between Cannock Road and Wolverhampton railway station.

A virtual celebration was live-streamed on YouTube, with an official ribbon cutting ceremony by the city’s mayor – and university graduate – Councillor Claire Darke.

Councillor Ian Brookfield, leader of Wolverhampton Council, Michelle Donelan, the universities minister, Andy Street, Mayor of West Midlands and Honorary Graduate of Wolverhampton University, architect and television presenter George Clarke sent messages of support for the project during the ceremony.

The event also included a virtual tour of the new building, which was designed by Birmingham-based Associated Architects, as well as an opportunity to hear from graduates and students, construction and industry professionals.

Councillor Darke said: “I am privileged to be involved in the official opening of the School of Architecture and Built Environment. This is great addition to the educational offer for the University of Wolverhampton and furthermore it is an excellent renovation project which I have followed with great interest.”

 

 

Professor Geoff Layer, vice chancellor of the university, added: “We wanted to mark this achievement with key industry leaders, our partners and stakeholders who have supported and sponsored the project from day one, as well as celebrate with our staff, students and graduates.

“Instrumental to the city of Wolverhampton’s broader regeneration plans, it acts as an exemplar of the regeneration of a brownfield site. As a Construction Centre for Excellence, it also addresses the need to train and upskill young people to help limit the shortage of individuals entering into the construction industry.”

The new School of Architecture and Built Environment offers specialist teaching and social learning spaces, design studios, specialist labs, multi-disciplinary workshops, lecture theatre, cafe, offices, meeting rooms, ICT rooms and a top floor super studio with double height ceilings.

It will provide space for nearly 1,100 existing students and 65 staff, with the number of students projected to grow over time to 1,600.

The school will specialise in supporting skills in architecture, construction, civil engineering, building control, building services, facilities management, quantity surveying, planning, construction management, housing and commercial.

It joins the Thomas Telford University Technical College which is already on the former brewery site on Cambridge Street.

 

Source: Express & Star

 

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Gas Leak forces evacuation of Aberdeen Victorian School

Harlaw Academy, Aberdeen (Image: Google)

Hundreds of pupils and staff have been evacuated from a Scotish school after gas was found in the building.

#gasleak #schoolbuilding #scotland

All kids and teachers from the 950-capacity Harlaw Academy in Aberdeen were taken from the school on Wednesday after the find.

Parents of pupils at the Victorian-era school were texted by education bosses warning that ‘trace amounts’ of gas had been found.

A council spokesman confirmed that the school had been closed as gas had been detected, it is hoped the closure would be temporary.

On social media a text apparently from school bosses to parents was shared locally.

It read: “This morning trace amounts of gas have been found at Harlaw Academy.

“The gas supply was isolated immediately and the school was safely evacuated.

“We are awaiting a safety inspection by the gas board and the school building cannot be in use until the inspection is completed.”

A later text said: “We have taken the decision to close Harlaw Academy for the day and send pupils home.

“This will be done at 11.30am and processes will be in place to assist pupils who need.

“We will send an update to parents as soon as this is available.”

 

 

Local councillor Martin Greig said the situation could have been ‘catastrophic’.

He said: “The gas problem is really worrying and it is reassuring that this was detected quickly and the building evacuated without delay.

“The pupils have already experienced a lot of disruption because of having to cope with the pandemic.

“Hopefully this fault will be identified and a permanent fix will be made.

“This kind of situation is potentially harmful and even catastrophic. It is an old building and it needs to be constantly monitored and maintained to keep the school community safe”

A city council spokesman said: “This morning trace amounts of gas were found in Harlaw Academy this morning.

“The gas supply was isolated immediately and the school was safely evacuated.

“We are awaiting a safety inspection by the Gas Board, and the school building cannot be in use until the inspection has been completed.

“As the safety of our pupils is of paramount importance we took the decision to close Harlaw Academy at 11am for the day and send them home.

 

Source: Daily Record

 

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600 place secondary school an important investment

Morgan Sindall Construction has been appointed as the preferred bidder for the first phase of a major new education campus in Alconbury Weald.

#schoolbuilding #development #countycouncil

The development will be driven by a working partnership between Morgan Sindall Construction, Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC), Huntingdon District Council (HDC), the Diocese of Ely Multi Academy Trust (DEMAT), the Spring Common Academy Trust (which will lead and manage the Prestley Wood Academy Special School) and the developer, Urban&Civic (U&C).

The project forms the next phase of Urban&Civic’s delivery of Alconbury Weald, which currently includes homes, a primary school, community facilities, green spaces, play areas and over one million square foot of business space. In total the development will comprise 5,000 new homes, health centre and retail hub, sustainable transport links, and over 500 acres of green space, including a country park.

 

 

Phase one includes the construction of 600-place secondary school with infrastructure to enable it to grow to provide 1,200 places in the future. The school has been named Alconbury Weald Church Academy, which will be run by the Diocese of Ely Multi Academy Trust.

Councillor Simon Bywater, chairman of the Children and Young People’s Committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “The Alconbury Weald education campus is an important investment for the county council, and I’d like to congratulate Morgan Sindall Construction on their appointment. The development will have great benefit for the community and will provide a high-quality education facility to all children and young people.”

Rebecca Britton at Urban&Civic said: “Education lies at the heart of everything we do and is in the DNA of the places we craft. This education campus is an exciting new chapter for the development and will not only deliver landmark civic buildings at the heart of the new community, but also partners us with strong education providers in DEMAT and Spring Common Trusts. The opportunity to deliver much needed special needs capacity for the local area alongside an inspirational secondary school and sixth form is a fundamental part of our commitment to Alconbury Weald.”

Morgan Sindall Construction is currently on site at other school projects across the region including a new primary school in St Neots.

 

Source: The Hunts Post

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NO NEW SCHOOLS, NO NEW HOUSES

PROGRESS on two West Fife housing developments is at a “critical point” as a funding headache for new schools continues to present problems.

#schoolbuilding #councils #funding #newhomes #scotland

The Press told you in March that up-front cash for a new £8 million primary school in Kelty was required if a 900-home site at Cocklaw Road was to go ahead.

While it is hoped that ‘phase one’ work may be given the green light, a financial resolution is no further forward neither for the Kelty scheme nor in Wellwood, where the same problem lies.

Perth-based I&H Brown own both sites but an agreement with Fife Council has yet to be reached.

The developer suggested previously that the council could pay for the new primary schools – one is needed at each location – and get the money back from developers once enough houses have been built and sold.

With money tight and the council perhaps fearful of being left in the lurch if a housebuilding firm was to collapse, as happened with Lomond Homes in 2013, they want to stick to their policy of new primary schools being funded solely by the developer.

Allan Miller, development director, told the Press this week that work is under way in Kelty and Wellwood but both projects will hit barriers in the near future.

 

 

He said: “Kelty (site) is making some progress and I think we’ve managed to get into a position where we think we can start the site and build an agreed number of houses prior to the school being required.

“The last time we spoke with you (in March) we were thinking that we couldn’t even start.

“It’s not finalised yet but I think we maybe have enough to make a site start on what we would call phase one which would be around 100 houses or just a bit more.

“That would allow for the development to commence.

“But, until the school is funded, we couldn’t go on to phase two and complete the site – it’s a big site, it’s 900 houses – but we might be able to make a start on phase one whilst we work out how to fund the school.

“There’s a restriction on when that could start, which I believe is within 18 months. That’s the timescale required for a development of this size anyway.”

 

Source: Dunfermline Press

 

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Government restriction on new schools leads to costly expansions

A row broke out over the future of school funding in Leeds, as council decision-makers approved a multi-million pound scheme to expand a north Leeds school.

#schoolbuilding #localauthorities #PFI #government

Leeds City Council’s Conservative group leader Coun Andrew Carter criticised the authority for spending large amounts of money expanding schools in the district in order to meet the demand for places.

Senior Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors hit back, claiming it was the Conservative government’s fault for not allowing local authorities to open new schools, leaving them needing to expensively expand existing schools in the district.

The comments came during a discussion on the council’s plans to permanently expand Allerton Grange school from 1,200 to 1,500 places.

The council agreed to allocate £2,151,200.80 to accommodate an extra 60 year seven pupils back in June, and a new council document states the scheme now needs an extra £5,051,606 to permanently increase the school’s capacity by 300.

It added costs had also increased due to Covid uncertainty, as well as access issues.

Cllr Andrew Carter (Con) said: “I am supporting the paper on the basis that we need school places – but I have a number of questions.

“The cost has gone up quite dramatically, partly because of access and highways issues – why was that not foreseen?

“To have overspends on items within the council’s own gift is somewhat concerning.

“The school itself was a PFI project – are we going to be paying PFI fees on any part of this work? It was part of the original building schools for the future programme.

“Is this a remnant of the past?”

Private finance initiative (PFI) is a type of scheme that was popular in the 1990s and 2000s in which new schools and hospitals were built in exchange for regular payments to developers.

The practice became controversial due to the high interest rates paid by the taxpayer on some of the deals.

Leeds City Council officer Tim Pouncey said: “We have set out the sort of fees we have to pay on these PFI schemes.

“Most fees are still to be negotiated depending on the level of work needs to be done, but as I rough guide I think it will be in the region of £70,000.”

The document stated: “The total estimated cost of the works including the existing approval for the bulge cohort inclusive of all development costs, fees (including PFI fees), construction, decant, utilities, loose furniture and equipment, off-site highways works, client held contingency.”

Current Government rules around education mean councils can no longer open new schools, and are only able to either approve new “free” schools set up and run by a third party, or expand existing schools under their control.

 

 

Other members of the executive board claim the government’s inflexibility on opening new schools have caused councils to spend disproportionate amounts of money on schools that otherwise wouldn’t have the space to expand.

Leader of the Leeds Liberal Democrats Cllr Stewart Golton said: “These inflated costs are a consequence of central government dominating how we develop our school portfolio in the city.

“The historic PFI requirements can be just as inhibiting as modern academisation requirements, and the inability of the council to decide where is best to educate pupils.

“Councils have to expand current sites to accommodate children they were not initially designed for.”

Leeds City Council’s executive member for learning, Cllr Jonathan Pryor (Lab), said: “Cllr Golton is right – the Government stops us opening new schools, these places and a lot of others across the city are expensive, but thats the price of them.

“I think this is a good scheme and delivers school places that we need.”

Leeds City Council leader Judith Blake added: “It’s disappointing to hear Coun Carter’s comments – at a national level, we have a cross-party consensus that local authorities not being allowed to open schools is unsustainable, untenable and not in the best interests of children and young people.”

Councillors voted to approve the scheme, which is expected to be completed by September 2021.

 

Source: Leeds Live

 

 

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Designing a school in 15 minutes

Seismic, a collaborative construction project funded via Innovate UK, looks to speed up the process and reduce the costs of school building.

#schoolbuiding #design #3D #stuctural #architecture

A collaborative project funded by Innovate UK has resulted in an app that can help stakeholders design schools “in minutes, not weeks”.

The Seismic Consortium is comprised of construction consultants Blacc, the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), technology-led design practice Bryden Wood and offsite manufacturers, Elliott and The McAvoy Group.

The group was set up to address the “structural failings in the construction marketplace” which negatively impact the speed and cost of building schools in the UK. One of the outcomes of the £1 million grant-funded project is a set of “spatial design clusters” which have been embedded into a design accelerator app, in a bid to avoid these failings.

 

“The need to build schools efficiently is not going away”

Around 100 new and replacement primary schools are required every year in the UK, according to Bryden Wood director and head of global systems Jaimie Johnston.

“The need to build schools efficiently is not going away,” says Johnston in a blog for Innovate UK, who adds that investment in education is a main focus of the government’s current “build, build, build” strategy.

But while the need is ever-present, the price tag of building this number of new schools each year is significant – around £5 billion, according to Bryden Wood. For this reason, the Seismic consortium was set up to bring “digital and manufacturing innovation together” to transform the design and delivery of schools in the UK.

 

“From weeks to minutes”

Working with the Department for Education (DfE), Seismic identified school space standards and best practice design rules and translated these into a set of “spatial design clusters” – that is to say a kind of modular set of blocks which can be configured into a school “that immediately complies with DfE standards”.

These were then embedded into a dedicated school design accelerator app, which has been devised by Bryden Woods. Prism is a web-based, open-source, free-to-use app, with built-in building blocks which Johnston explains can be used in a similar way to how one might use Lego or play Minecraft.

“This automation of the application of design standards reduces the time and cost of initial feasibility and design phases from weeks to minutes,” says Johnston.

As well as for use construction schools, a separate but related app has been developed to bring this quick process to the construction of housing developments.

 

 

“Not just architects and planners”

The UX of the web app has been developed to “democratise” the design process and therefore be usable by all involved in a school construction project. Johnston explains it allows “not just architects and planners, but also teaching professionals, school governors, parents and even pupils” to get involved. Indeed, Johnston explains in his blog post that the app was tested on a group of schoolchildren in Hackney, who were challenged to design their own school.

First users choose their site and then the kind of building they want – including the number of floors and rooms and how many pupils. Once the parameters of the space have been set, users can then go about building something using Seismic’s digital kit of parts.

A design guide has been developed to help in this journey. For a 630-capacity primary school, for example, blocks have been categories for the likes of infants, juniors, storage, entrances and staff and admin facilities.

These are then made up of different elements – the staff and admin category for example contains blocks for a head’s office, meeting room, staff room and staff work room. As already mentioned, all of these blocks conform to DfE standards.

 

 

“Simplifies the solution while creating economies of scale”

By allowing collaboration within the school construction process, Johnston says the work has created a common solution where “secrecy and distrust are the norm”. Additionally, such a method would decrease the footprint of the building work.

“By reducing the number of components, it simplifies the solution while creating economies of scale,” he says. “The solution is suitable for 3D volumetric frames, and 2D panelised designs, allowing a range of potential solutions for specific sites [and] the redesigned frame could be erected more quickly, with a 52% reduction in assembly time.

“Our results show that collaboration among industry partners and specialists from parallel sectors, via The Manufacturing Technology Centre, connects expertise to produce innovation that can transform the sector,” he explains.

 

By Molly Long

 

Source: Design Week

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IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, THEN ………

Victorian School to get the necessary funding for repairs

#refurbishment #schoolbuilding # governmentgrant #facilities

 

A COCKERMOUTH primary school has been awarded a major Government grant to carry out repairs to its buildings.

Fairfield Primary School in Cockermouth has been awarded £151,000 in condition improvement funding from the Government to carry out repair works to its Victorian buildings.

The works are due to start next year.

The news that the primary school had been successful in securing the Government funding was welcomed by Workington MP Mark Jenkinson, who paid a visit to the school over the summer holidays.

“Condition improvement funding is essential to maintain schools,” Mr Jenkinson said.

“Fairfield Primary School is located in an old building with a significantly sized roof.

“It was important that repairs to this structure were carried out and I am pleased that this funding from Government has enabled these works, ensuring that the school is able to put more of their money into the education of their children.”

 

 

 

Fairfield Primary School headteacher Chris Steele said that the school has been working to secure the funding to replace Fairfield Primary School’s Victorian ceilings and roofs for a couple of years.

“We were unsuccessful in the first round of condition improvement funding this year,” Mr Steele said.

“However, through this most recent round we have been granted the funding.

“We have received £151,000 to remove and replace the roof and ceiling of our lower building.

“This will help our school significantly as we will be able to update the classrooms in the building.

“It will create a much nicer environment for the children.”

It is hoped that renovation work on the Cockermouth primary school’s other Victorian building will commence in 2022.

 

Source: News & Star

 

 

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Smart Building Technology, post-Covid

Dwight Stewart, founder and chief information officer of Igor, discusses how smart building technology can assist schools in a post-COVID world

#smartbuildings #schools #data #techenabled

For decades, schools and universities have been under immense pressure to achieve a range of high-stakes outcomes – from elevated student performance to safety amid threats of violence. Add the need to maintain clean, virus-free spaces to that list and it is easy to see that human leaders could use an assist from their technological counterparts. While education is not the only field poised to benefit from the marriage of mind and machine, it is a field that needs this benefit acutely and immediately as staff welcome students back to their buildings for the 2020-21 school year.

Common sense – and numerous studies – tells us that learning is nearly impossible when teachers and students feel unsafe. The lack of focus that comes from anxiety is only compounded when parents and guardians are also worried about their child’s health; this is why we see so many schools and universities strategically over-communicating their return-to-learn plans. While this communication calms some, in order to continue to be effective in reassuring stakeholders that schools are clean and safe, schools will need to back up their plans with proof of efficacy.

Smart buildings generate a data trail for stakeholder reassurance

In today’s environment, providing evidence to various communities can be achieved through the capture, analysis and sharing of data. Smart buildings enable this activity, more readily supplying teachers and staff, parents and students, regulators and others the proof they need that the school is doing everything possible to keep learning spaces sanitised.

Democratized IoT tech keeps intelligent spaces within budget

The phraseology ‘smart building’ tends to make tech-enabled learning environments feel out of reach, especially given the ever-shrinking budgets faced by many educators. However, as internet of things (IoT) technology becomes democratised, school systems are deploying surprisingly cost-effective, easy to implement solutions that start small and evolve over time. While these systems were once akin to intricate model airplane kits, they are now much more like pre-packaged Lego sets, designed to make anyone a master builder.

Intelligent disinfection is a hyper-relevant place to begin 

Identifying a ‘start small’ case to kickstart a smart building initiative can be a stumbling block; this is because there are so many ways intelligent spaces can advance performance objectives that school business managers (SBMs) often struggle to get stakeholders to agree on where to begin. Now, with so much emphasis on clean buildings, SBMs have a hyper-relevant issue around which nearly everyone can rally.

Automating a layered approach to cleaning

Smart building technology connects traditionally siloed disinfection and sanitation systems, such as UV-C lighting and air purifiers, making it easier to automate a layered cleaning strategy. Facility managers, teachers, volunteers – anyone – can confidently sterilise individual rooms or entire schools overnight or throughout the day safely, and with very little training on the system.

 

 

Automating the disinfection process has several advantages; among them is removal of the human element. Not only does this ensure the consistency of cleaning procedures, it also mitigates the exposure risk some disinfection methods may pose to people. One press of a button initiates a series of events, including a scan for humans in the space, the triggering of warning sounds and lights, the disinfection of the space and, importantly, a data trail of all activity.

Of course, smart buildings do not eliminate the need for human ingenuity in the education sector; nothing can replace the creativity, compassion and empathy people need to continuously evolve schools and improve student outcomes. But, smart buildings, and the technology that powers, them allow passionate educators to direct their talents where they have most impact – on the long-term health and wellness of their students.

 

Source: Education Executive

 

 

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