Samuel Ryder was a very small secondary school with about 250 students. The Local Authority decided to extend the school’s provision to cover primary and secondary pupils. Since then the school, with an outstanding leadership Ofsted rating, has grown in popularity and demand for places has outstripped capacity. Their timber frame modular building from TG Escapes was completed at the end of August 2020 ready for use in time for the students’ return to school.

The block consists of 7 English classrooms, the English team office, an SLT office, year 7 and 8 toilets, a media suite and 2 year 6 classrooms. Whilst price was the key criteria during the selection process, the sustainable nature of the building materials used was a benefit.

“Offsite fabrication resulted in a very rapid onsite construction. I was impressed by the speed of delivery, which occurred on schedule, and the site manager who had excellent communication skills and was extremely accommodating of requests to tweak the original design.“ Ian Cushion, Scholars’ Education Trust Estates Manager
Barkers Associates consultancy sent out invitations to tender to six contractors, from which a shortlist of three was drawn up. The key criteria were price and quality, but it was also very important that the company selected had proven experience of working with schools, and that the individuals with whom the school had contact were of the right calibre.
The energy performance certificate for this building is A+ rated at minus 24 making the building carbon neutral, or net-zero, in operation.
Mechanical & Electrical systems are key to producing comfortable building environments as well as achieving energy efficiency and our M&E consultant Designphase Ltd used a combination of 4 systems to achieve this.

•  Air source heat pumps to heat the hot water and most of the space heating.
•  A hybrid active ventilation system to efficiently supply fresh air and extract stale air.
•  LED lighting & lighting controls with daylight dimming to keep consumption to a minimum.
•  A solar photovoltaic system was installed across the roof.

The air source heat pumps specified produce between 3-4 kilowatts of heat for every kilowatt of electricity used.
The ventilation system tempers the incoming air with the hot air being extracted using low wattage fans to distribute the air and provide a comfortable environment.
The LED lighting is inherently efficient and the addition of controls like daylight dimming means that when the spaces are flooded with natural daylight, the lights will respond automatically.
Finally, a large 72kW solar photovoltaic array was installed across the roof to help offset the energy used in the building.
The combination of these systems resulted in a building that is both comfortable to use and provides a high level of energy efficiency that will benefit the end-users at Samuel Ryder and the environment we pass onto the next generation.

TG Escapes partners in achieving this are Metropolis Architects,  Solar for Schools, Passivent, Westcott Air Conditioning and Dextra.
“Energy efficiency was considered very important given the passion of many pupils for environmental issues. Rightly so – it’s this world that they are going to inherit. The students and staff find their time in the building wonderful. The primary occupant was the English department who feel very spoilt and lucky to have the experience of teaching and learning in their new classrooms. It was a very good experience from start to finish with TG Escapes, I would recommend them to others.”  Ian Bailey, Deputy Headteacher.

www.tgescapes.co.uk

In the construction industry, it’s sometimes easy to overlook the importance of a simple classroom block. The latest addition to Ty Gwyn Special School may look like a normal school building, but it is packed with interesting features and was delivered using modern methods of construction.

The block is surrounded by security fencing with access-controlled gates and CCTV to ensure pupil safety when in school, and at either end of the block, bespoke, powder coated aluminium canopies cover small separate playgrounds for each class, leading to a wider playground with built in play equipment.  However, as the name suggests, Ty Gwyn Special School is no ordinary school, and this is no ordinary classroom block. Ty Gwyn is wholly focussed on supporting pupils who have profound or complex needs. Rated as ‘Excellent’ by Estyn, the education and training inspectorate for Wales, the school will educate children from three years to nineteen years old who might present severe or challenging behaviour.

The school needed a new block urgently to cater for a rise in pupil numbers – with less than ten pupils per class, classroom space is vitally important for the school. To procure the new block, Cardiff Council ran a mini competition via the SEWSCAP framework, which was subsequently won by Wernick Buildings.  The building is constructed using 18 individual modules which were manufactured in Wernick’s dedicated factory in Port Talbot, less than an hour away from the site. These were transported to site by lorry, then craned into position and bolted together to form the core of the building. The brick cladding and trussed roof were then added to the core to give a traditional construction appearance.

Manufacturing the building in a factory environment gave the project several advantages. Firstly, the building could be constructed at the same time as the foundations were being prepared, dramatically reducing programme length, particularly on site. Manufacture was also not affected by site conditions like the weather, making the programme even more reliable. This was vitally important for the school, who would need the building in time for the start of the new term.  The reliability of modular building was further tested by the outbreak of COVID-19. However, as a large part of the fit out had already been completed in the factory Wernick Buildings were able to minimise the operatives needed on site at any one time. Combined with careful site management, this allowed Wernick to continue work during the first lockdown, and ultimately the building was delivered ahead of schedule.

Providing a robust building which would be both a safe and calming environment for Ty Gwyn’s pupils who can sometimes present challenging behaviour, was important. This was reflected in the enhanced specification required by the council which Wernick embraced fully, enhancing their standard modular system to meet the requirements.  The painted internal walls were upgraded with impact-resistant plasterboard to better withstand the demanding classroom environment. The floor, apart from being fully non-combustible, was also enhanced to improve rigidity and acoustic performance. All the doors are also equipped with acoustic seals to reduce noise throughout the building and ALUMASC Safehinge anti finger trap system to avoid any opportunity for entrapment.

Acoustic performance was especially important for the withdrawal rooms off each classroom. These spaces can be used when a child needs a calming and safe environment. The walls and floor of these were padded to ensure child safety, and were also equipped with an observation window and AV system, allowing teachers to play music for the children from the main classroom. A ducted heat recovery system was employed in the ventilation in these rooms, and comfort cooling is used throughout the building.  The audio-visual system in the block is also a step above many standard classroom buildings. Aside from the withdrawal rooms and interactive whiteboards in each class, there is also a dedicated sensory room with controllable coloured lighting and interactive projections on the floor and wall which pupils can engage with.  All classrooms are also equipped with a DDA compliant toilet and shower room, as well as a ‘nurse call’ system to help staff in emergencies. Glazing throughout the building was also enhanced to reduce u-values and improve security by meeting Secured by Design standards.  As standard the windows had toughened glazing inner and laminate glazing outer.

A spokesperson for Cardiff Council commented: “The Wernick team were excellent to work with from start to finish.  Teamwork was at the heart of everything, and the team committed from the outset to deliver the project on time.  Working relationships were excellent, and this facilitated first class communication and ultimately the delivery of a highly successful project”

www.wernick.co.uk

TG Escapes unique modular eco-buildings use traditional materials with sophisticated technology to create a standalone space with a difference. Their bespoke timber frame design system can provide buildings to suit most locations in a variety of finishes including timber or composite cladding, render in a range of colours and brick slips.

Their fully inclusive service allows them to create the perfect building to suit the clients’ individual needs with adaptable bespoke designs to fit most locations.

MATERIALS: The materials used in construction are integral to the eco-friendly credentials. They build with timber frame and sectional wooden insulated panels constructed offsite.

FOUNDATIONS: The foundations have been designed to reduce impact on the environment by using a minimal amount of concrete in a unique pad-based system or, when more appropriate, screw pile.

ROOFS: A Sedum roof is not only aesthetically pleasing all year round, but also provides a habitat for a rich variety of wildlife. A sedum roof significantly reduces rainwater runoff whilst lowering energy consumption.

TIMBER: Timber comes from sustainable forests (FSC and PEFC). These forests are meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations. By practising an environmentally-aware land stewardship ethic the use of timber reduces the embodied carbon for any project and acts as a carbon store.

RENEWABLE ENERGY: They can incorporate solar power into all builds as a clean renewable source of energy.

INSULATION: The glass wool insulation used in the buildings is manufactured from a combination of silica sand and up to 80% recycled postconsumer glass that would otherwise be heading to landfill. This makes it one of the most environmentally sustainable insulation products on the market today.

SUN PIPES: Sun pipes capture daylight from the rooftop, through highly reflective tubing, and channel it to where it’s needed. The pipes offer brilliant natural light as an alternative to artificial lighting, helping to reduce energy consumption.

The buildings achieve A+ energy ratings with an air test of 5 or less through the use of:

• Ultra-efficient LED lighting calculated for each space to specific levels avoiding over lit areas using photocell detection and timeclock.
• Ventilation using a mixture of natural ventilation, ultra-energy efficient ventilation systems and low carbon fans with integrated controls that monitor both temperature and CO2 for optimum thermal comfort and air quality. It operates in three modes depending on the season.
• AA rated Mitsubishi air source heat pumps.
• Low carbon usage extract fans in toilets & kitchenettes.
• Water heating with an air source heat pump combined tank to reduce carbon emissions. Water controls can be installed on all urinal cisterns which, together with sensor taps, keeps the overall water usage to a minimum.
• With the addition of suitable PV solar panels, the buildings can be classified as ‘Carbon Neutral’ in use.
The buildings are designed to be aesthetically pleasing, ergonomic and highly practical but just as importantly, they are built to last. They expect buildings to last 60 years or more with appropriate maintenance. A Construction Line Gold member, an approved partner of the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) and a member of the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), they have built over 700 eco-buildings country wide and customers score them 4.9 out of 5 based on 152 reviews.

‘Working with TG Escapes was very good. The buildings provide a better quality environment for staff and students.’ Estates Manager

“We couldn’t have asked for more! The building time was very quick but was completed to a very high standard with minimal disruption to the school day.” Headteacher

Single or double storey buildings range in price from £80k to over £2m and larger sizes can cost from as little as £1500 per m2.For more information call 0800 917 7726

or email info@tgescapes.co.uk

www.tgescapes.co.uk