McAvoy completes construction on centre for Waltham Forest London Borough Council

A new Family Resilience and High Needs Centre in North Birkbeck, London, has been completed by leading offsite manufacturer McAvoy, to meet London Borough of Waltham Forest’s needs to support vulnerable children.

McAvoy delivered The Birkbeck Centre in just 20 weeks from installation of the first module, using offsite manufacturing methods. The new 1,588 m2 centre will serve as a valuable resource for the Youth Offending Service. The centre will also provide family therapy and restorative justice programmes.

The two-storey building features a sports hall constructed using a steel frame, café, kitchen, general teaching spaces, break out spaces, construction skills workshop, medical room, art rooms, and a music suite. The exterior of the centre also includes carefully planned landscaping and ample parking spaces. Students will receive counselling and therapy alongside essential subjects like Maths and English. Wider training and skills will also be offered in construction, catering, computer technology, music recording and production.

Cahal Cunning, Senior Contracts Manager at McAvoy, said: “Delivering essential buildings quickly to support the council’s broader plan for youth offending rehabilitation and educational facilities is key to supporting those in need in the area. By choosing high quality offsite manufacturing, combined with our team who are specialists in the design and build of community and education facilities, we have enabled the quick turnaround of projects for Waltham Forest. This approach meets the urgent demand for safe and nurturing environments for vulnerable young people, fostering positive growth and development.

“This is our second project with Waltham Forest London Borough Council within the last year and is testament to the increasing confidence in offsite manufacturing and its ability to deliver high quality, sustainable buildings that are fit for the future.”

Earlier this year, McAvoy completed an extension of Kelmscott Primary School in Walthamstow, East London. The design and build included a main two-storey school building alongside a separate special educational needs building with a green roof and solar PV, addressing the critical need for 900 school places in the area.