Off-Site Savings

Working as a principal supplier to Carillion, Caledonian Modular (CM) is in the final stages of handing over a batch of four primary schools as part of the North West Primary Schools Building Programme (NWPSB). Each school needed to meet specific criteria whilst remaining within the Education Funding Authority (EFA) Baseline Standards.

CM’s approach is to offer flexibility of school design, economies of scale, energy efficiency and occupier comfort while conforming to the EFA’s Facilities Output Specification (FOS).

Meeting school specifications
St James’s Church of England Junior School at Barrow in Furness, one of the top 100 performing schools from 2012 to 2014, is surrounded by very busy main roads on three sides so effective sound insulation was vital. Its new facility is a 1,100 m2 single storey building with construction taking place only 2 m from a fully occupied school.

Highfield Community Primary School in Chester is also a 1,100 m2 building, but with the addition of a mono-pitched roof to permit natural lighting and ventilation into the building. Headteacher Nicky Dowling said: “Highfield was involved in our new school’s design right from the start. We achieved the very best building possible through early engagement with Caledonian.”

Holden Clough Community Primary School at Ashton-Under-Lyne is a 2,200 m2 two storey building on a very restricted site. CM worked with the school personnel to design a building where the classrooms for younger pupils face onto a wooded area to facilitate opportunities for play and education in a natural environment.

The fourth scheme is Silver Springs Academy in Stalybridge, Manchester, which is another 2,200 m2 two storey building. Headteacher Debbie Mason and her team required an internal design solution tailored to their needs which also met the EFA Baseline standard. Each classroom features internal glazed panels to increase visibility and soft monitoring of each of the teaching areas from the central corridor. The glazing also enhanced the building’s natural lighting.

Mason is no stranger to building new schools, having previously managed several traditionally built projects, but this was her first experience of off-site technology. She said: “Using modular construction, we were able to develop our needs whilst still meeting the EFA baseline standards. Once modular site work was underway, we couldn’t believe the speed at which the school was constructed. The site area was really clean and uncluttered and there weren’t endless deliveries on a daily basis. The build was an educational event in itself for our pupils, and also Caledonian Modular was very accommodating.”

Non-disruptive working
CM aims to mitigate risks associated with traditional on site methods by delivering project certainty and predictability on both time and budget. In consultation with local residents, the Caledonian team managed to mitigate some unforeseen site problems and ensure that the school remains on track to open on time during the autumn term.

As part of CM’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme, the company invited school staff, governors and pupils from the schools to visit its factories in Newark, Nottinghamshire, to walk through the design of each of the new schools during the construction process. Each building was laid out in ‘as built’ configuration before being transported to site.

CM has also helped reduce mechanical and electrical costs at each school by specifying phase changing materials in the design, to provide thermal mass. While these materials do not physically melt, they absorb heat created by occupancy which is then gradually released back into the building during periods of lower temperatures so it can be dissipated through natural ventilation. The use of rooflights has also been optimised to deliver high levels of natural daylight without the glare factor.

Delivering bespoke layout to a good educational standard design is best achieved through engagement with an independent architect at the earliest stage. Caledonian Modular says the whole project has been benchmarked as an example of best practice for other local authorities.

Source: Building Products