Fradley Park Primary School in Lichfield, Staffordshire, celebrated the official opening of its £4.8m free school with the local community last week (Friday 13 January). The two-storey building, which was constructed by Midlands-based contractor G F Tomlinson and completed in summer 2022, opened to 210 primary and 26 nursery pupils in
Sir Robert McAlpine has today announced practical completion of Co-op Academy Belle Vue in East Manchester, with the school opening this week. Formerly a 12.6-acre brownfield site hosting a Showcase Cinema, the new co-educational school will be home to 1,200 pupils when full and consists of a main three-storey building
Plans to develop a new secondary school fin the Burgess Hill area have been approved. West Sussex County Council and co-applicant Homes England’s plans to create a zero-carbon school were approval by Mid Sussex District Council’s planning committee on 15 December 2022. Committee members praised the ‘excellent’ and ‘unique’ designs
Environmentally driven architectural practice, Lungfish Architects has successfully partnered with Morgan Sindall Construction to deliver more than £30m-worth of educational infrastructure in Derby, helping to generate 1,440 additional school places. Lungfish has designed and delivered some of Derby City Council and Derby County Council’s most recent transformative school projects including
Building and civil engineering firm McLaughlin & Harvey has been chosen as the preferred construction partner for City of Wolverhampton Council’s City Learning Quarter. The company will be developing the detailed designs while carry out some minor preparatory works ahead of construction starting in spring. Developed by the Council in
University of Cambridge’s ‘Homerton College Dining Hall’ designed by architects Feilden Fowles, is the UK’s best new timber building, having won the Gold Award at the 2022 Wood Awards. Elegant and impressive, the dining hall was praised by the judges for how it celebrates the integrity and inherent beauty of
Contractor G F Tomlinson has completed construction works on the Barr’s Hill School in Coventry, expanding the school’s capacity with the creation of a new teaching block for year seven pupils and re-modelling of existing buildings. The company led on the construction of the building on behalf of Coventry City Council
Construction works have begun on a new one form entry school in Lichfield, which has been named the Anna Seward Primary School. In August, Midlands-based main contractor G F Tomlinson began work on the 1,500sqm site, which is due for completion in summer 2023. G F Tomlinson is working alongside
In a bid to drive growth for the city, Leeds Trinity University will be establishing a city centre location at a building on 1 Trevelyan Square. The University has secured a lease on the 57,000 square foot building, which is located just off Boar Lane in the heart of the
ASHE Group has been awarded two contracts totalling nearly £30 million to deliver net zero schools for Hertfordshire County Council. The builder has already commenced work on a new £14.5 million primary school, which will be operated by the Avanti Academy Trust. The new primary school, due to open in
Fradley Park Primary School in Lichfield, Staffordshire, celebrated the official opening of its £4.8m free school with the local community last week (Friday 13 January). The two-storey building, which was constructed by Midlands-based contractor G F Tomlinson and completed in summer 2022, opened to 210 primary and 26 nursery pupils in autumn last year – being the first school to be built in the area in over 40 years. “We’re delighted to have marked the official opening of Fradley Park Primary School, working collaboratively alongside Staffordshire County Council and Entrust, which has provided much-needed school places for young children within the local area. The brand-new facilities and state-of-the-art classrooms have created enhanced environments for children to learn and grow, and the ceremony was a great opportunity to see them explore their fantastic new school,” said Kevin Dodds, Construction Director at G F Tomlinson. The opening ceremony was attended by Ben Robinson, High Sheriff and County Councillor Jonathan Price from Staffordshire County Council, Construction Director Kevin Dodds from G F Tomlinson, and CEO of John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust Mike Donoghue. As well as approximately 50 guests, comprising school staff and governors, John Taylor MAT directors and members, and colleagues from the local authority and other partner and community organisations. “I was really pleased to officially open Fradley Park Primary, which is the latest primary school in the county to be built in response to growing demand for school places in the area. It’s been great to see the first classes of children settling in well to their new school, which looks to be a fantastic place for them to start their education journey,” commented Staffordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Education Jonathan Price. The occasion was marked with speeches and a presentation of the school’s journey, before the Lichfield school was officially opened by Ben Robinson, High Sheriff of Staffordshire County Council and County Councillor Jonathan Price, Cabinet Member for Education and SEND. The school was delivered through the Staffordshire County Council Framework, and project managed by Entrust, and is now being managed by the John Taylor Multi Academy Trust. This is one of six educational schemes that G F Tomlinson has delivered within Staffordshire alongside Entrust, with the Derby-headquartered firm recently completing the latest scheme – Bramshall Meadows First School in Uttoxeter. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Sir Robert McAlpine has today announced practical completion of Co-op Academy Belle Vue in East Manchester, with the school opening this week. Formerly a 12.6-acre brownfield site hosting a Showcase Cinema, the new co-educational school will be home to 1,200 pupils when full and consists of a main three-storey building including reception, community hub, library and dining hall, with a teaching block and adjoining drama block. The new Co-op Academy Belle Vue also boasts a two-storey sports block with Sports England-standard pitches and a multi-use games area behind it that will accommodate a range of sports including tennis and basketball and training for netball and hockey. The sports block was built with separate access for the wider East Manchester community, and both school and community will be served by Co-op Academy Belle Vue’s new 140-space car park with electric charging points and play area. Sir Robert McAlpine worked closely with an array of stakeholders on the project, from sub-contractors to the Co-op Academies Trust. Co-op Academies Trust has 30 schools and colleges across the north of England and was appointed by the Department for Education in cooperation with Manchester City Council to run Co-op Academy Belle Vue since its first intake of year 7 students in September 2021. Co-op Academy Belle Vue operated from temporary premises in Connell Co-op College, East Manchester whilst Sir Robert McAlpine was working on the new site. With the end user in mind, principles of education and community engagement guided the project at all stages. Sir Robert McAlpine hosted two students at a time from a nearby construction college to provide practical hands-on site experience during the build, and it supported subcontractor Marlborough in providing bricklaying demonstrations at a local college, in a move to help address the current skills gap. In addition, the project was named ‘Best Framework Collaboration Project’ at the Pagabo awards last year alongside Faithful+Gould and Manchester City Council. Paul Quinn, Sir Robert McAlpine’s Regional Director – North West & Yorkshire, commented, “We are proud to deliver this new state-of-the-art school for East Manchester. The project is testament to the cooperation and positivity of our teams. Spaces for young people and communities to come together, learn and thrive are so important, and we hope East Manchester enjoys all that Belle Vue has to offer.” Dr Chris Tomlinson, CEO of the Co-op Academies Trust, said, “We are delighted the students can move in and start enjoying Co-op Academy Belle Vue’s state of the art new site. It may not be a new school year, but it’s a new year nonetheless, and it’s great to see it in by looking forward to delivering all the ambitious and aspirational young futures this new site will help Co-op Academy Belle Vue’s students to achieve. My sincere thanks to Vicki England, Project Manager for Co-op Academies Trust, Sir Robert McAlpine and all the teams involved.” Jonathan Parker, Head of Construction at Pagabo, said: “I’m delighted to see this fantastic project reach completion, with the state-of-the-art facilities now ready for students to take advantage of. Manchester City Council engaged with Pagabo to appoint both a consultant and contractor for the scheme. Our Professional Services and Major Works frameworks provided the perfect solutions, with Faithful+Gould and Sir Robert McAlpine appointed in a quick and compliant manner. The collaboration between the entire project team has been clear to see from day one and is a huge reason why they were recognised for this at our yearly awards ceremony in 2022.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Plans to develop a new secondary school fin the Burgess Hill area have been approved. West Sussex County Council and co-applicant Homes England’s plans to create a zero-carbon school were approval by Mid Sussex District Council’s planning committee on 15 December 2022. Committee members praised the ‘excellent’ and ‘unique’ designs before voting unanimously in favour. The ambitious design will allow the school to generate its own renewable energy on site without using any fossil fuels. It aims to be the first school in West Sussex to achieve Passivhaus certification, the highest standard of energy efficiency a building can reach, and offer excellent educational facilities to 900 local children. The school will be created at Homes England’s new Brookleigh development near Burgess Hill to provide a high-quality education to families of the 3,500 homes and the surrounding area. “Planning approval marks a major milestone in our ambition to create an environmentally-friendly and high-quality new secondary school in Mid Sussex. It is uniquely designed to achieve Passivhaus certification and lead the way in energy efficiency. In addition, Brookleigh families will be able to walk or cycle to their new place of education, again demonstrating the County Council’s commitment to significantly reducing carbon emissions as part of our Climate Change Strategy. By creating this modern and high standard school, we are investing in our children’s future and in the long-term future of our county,” said Nigel Jupp, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills. West Sussex County Council has approved capital funding of £57.060m to build the secondary school, making it the largest capital project the council has delivered. This includes a £18.159m contribution from Homes England as part of the overall development. The new secondary school is being delivered through the County Council’s multi-disciplinary consultancy partnership with Faithful+Gould, with Atkins and Cundalls leading on the design. The school will include a Special Support Centre enabling children with special educational needs and disabilities to be supported to learn in a mainstream school. Net-zero in operation, the building has energy efficiency at the heart of every area of its design. Its position will provide maximum sunlight to nearly 1,000 solar photovoltaic panels generating an estimated 296,000 kWh of energy a year. The LED lighting will be controlled automatically by daylight and movement detection. The main building will have fresh air ventilation, keeping the school a comfortable temperature, even in extreme heat. “This is a really positive step forward for the proposed school which has been designed to promote well-being and educational attainment for all learners who use the building and create a project with a low environmental impact,” concluded Richard Christmas, lead designer at Atkins. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Environmentally driven architectural practice, Lungfish Architects has successfully partnered with Morgan Sindall Construction to deliver more than £30m-worth of educational infrastructure in Derby, helping to generate 1,440 additional school places. Lungfish has designed and delivered some of Derby City Council and Derby County Council’s most recent transformative school projects including Hackwood Primary Academy, Castleward Primary School, Highfields Spencer Academy, Ravensdale Infant & Nursery and, most recently, Snelsmoor Grange Primary School which is due to open in September 2023. Procured through SCAPE’s frameworks over the past three years, the completed projects have all been delivered on time, on budget and with an average client satisfaction of score of 9.5/10. The milestone reaffirms Lungfish’s commitment to creating sustainable and purposeful learning environments that support sustainable community regeneration. Working closely with each council, Lungfish undertook an extensive research and development study outlining exemplar school design and developing a standardised kit of parts. This standardised approach could be applied to any school site, whilst delivering the council’s educational requirements. Utilising simplicity and design-led methods, Lungfish Architects has also sought to maximise space. The layout and shape of each school building was carefully designed to suit the day-to-day management, needs, and user flow through the schools to deliver greater efficiency. Each classroom maximises natural day light and encapsulates external views, while unique educational facilities and environments encourages positive and engaging learning environments. For Castleward Primary School, a constrained inner-city site, the addition of a rooftop play area helped the school achieve more outdoor space than the site would have traditionally allowed, while at Ravensdale Infant & Nursery, every classroom had their own outdoor access for play and lessons outside. New trees and a wild meadow were also installed to create biodiverse learning areas. Simon Reid, managing director at Lungfish Architects, said: “The five school projects mark another important milestone for Lungfish and our commitment to pushing the boundaries of educational design. Creating buildings that improve the lives of communities continues to inspire us and we approach every project with the same mantra. “Utilising offsite construction methods has resulted in a reduction of time spent on site, allowing the delivery timescales for each project to be shortened and school places to be opened up sooner. Modular design and construction also drives down the amount of embodied carbon within each school. “Working closely with the delivery team at Morgan Sindall has allowed our design concepts and visions for these schools to become a reality. They are true assets to the local area and will play a vital role in educating generations to come.” Rob Cant, SCAPE Framework Director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “We first partnered with Lungfish Architects on Hackwood Primary Academy. Not only was this project the largest to be delivered through the SCAPE Venture framework at the time, but it was also the first modular build project we had delivered in the Midlands. Working closely with the Lungfish team we have since gone on to develop an industry leading approach to modular construction that uses the very latest advances and technologies in modern methods of construction. Coupled with our proven ability to deliver traditional builds, we feel we are now perfectly placed to quickly respond to our clients’ needs with a number of solutions.” Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Building and civil engineering firm McLaughlin & Harvey has been chosen as the preferred construction partner for City of Wolverhampton Council’s City Learning Quarter. The company will be developing the detailed designs while carry out some minor preparatory works ahead of construction starting in spring. Developed by the Council in partnership with City of Wolverhampton College, the City Learning Quarter scheme will deliver a purpose-built learning facility for young people and adults at the heart of the city centre to drive up skills levels. “We are delighted to have been appointed as City of Wolverhampton Council’s construction partner for their City Learning Quarter project. This is our thirteenth project under the Crown Commercial Service CWAS RM6088 Framework, having recently completed Darroch House, Edinburgh and UKAEA Material Research Facility. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Council on the design and preparatory works,” said Michael Kieran, McLaughlin & Harvey Construction Director. The City Learning Quarter, set over 10,000 square metres, will be situated around the Old Hall Street and St. George’s Parade area of the city centre, incorporating a site on the corner of Garrick Street and Bilston Street, where the former Faces nightclub building once stood. The state-of-the-art education facility will also see investment in the building and public realm around them. It will encompass City of Wolverhampton College’s Metro One Campus, the council’s Adult Education Service and Central Library, creating an enhanced learning environment for everyone as well as significantly paving the way for City of Wolverhampton College to move from its out-dated Paget Road site, which has been identified as land to build much-needed housing. In addition to the new facilities providing educational benefits for the city, the City Learning Quarter will generate and safeguard 750 jobs in the local economy. Initially supported by a £6.2 million investment from the Council and Black Country LEP, the scheme secured a further £5 million in funding from the Towns Fund, as well as £20 million from the Levelling Up Fund and a further £20 million from the Department for Education. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
University of Cambridge’s ‘Homerton College Dining Hall’ designed by architects Feilden Fowles, is the UK’s best new timber building, having won the Gold Award at the 2022 Wood Awards. Elegant and impressive, the dining hall was praised by the judges for how it celebrates the integrity and inherent beauty of its materials, from its design through to its incredible craftsmanship, and for the space it creates which is both welcoming and inspiring to students. The dining hall, buttery, kitchens, and associated amenities give rise to a bright, airy, and efficient setting by day, which can transform into a dramatic ceremonial setting at night. The ash-lined buttery serves as a café and provides an area to socialise or study. At the heart of the hall is an impressive timber structure with no interrupting supports that allows for a large, clear space; breath taking to building professionals, educators, and students alike. Each sweet chestnut glulam truss in the hall is formed of four members which are connected at a central node and to the full height columns on each side, while above these beams an engineered timber roof deck lends lateral stability. This combination of high performing engineered timber with traditional joinery achieves an elegance, revealed in the butterfly truss design, which echoes traditional collegiate halls in its aesthetics, but also exploits the compressive strength of timber in its structure. The Wood Awards building judges, a team of world leading professionals led by Jim Greaves of Hopkins Architects, visited all 20 buildings shortlisted in the Wood Awards before deciding the winner, in one of the UK’s most rigorous assessments for any competition. On deciding on Homerton College Dining Hall as the Gold Winner, the judges said they were impressed by the harmony of the structure with the rest of the college, allowing for light and flow from the garden and to other areas of the college to create a building both ‘natural and iconic’. Homerton College Dining Hall beat more than 200 building in the UK to claim the Gold Award. They were also the winner of the Education category, and of the Structural Award. The award makes a two-year clean sweep for the University of Cambridge, who won the Gold Award with their Magdalene College Library last year before going on to win the RIBA Stirling prize. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Contractor G F Tomlinson has completed construction works on the Barr’s Hill School in Coventry, expanding the school’s capacity with the creation of a new teaching block for year seven pupils and re-modelling of existing buildings. The company led on the construction of the building on behalf of Coventry City Council since works started on the school in 2021. The £6.5 million new teaching building known as ‘The Bridge’ is set across two storeys and comprises seven modern classrooms. The facility provides a dedicated space that has been designed to help 11 and 12-year-olds benefit from a smooth transition into secondary education serving as their own ‘mini school’. Works also included the re-configuration and remodelling of existing buildings to accommodate the school’s expansion over the coming years, with the school’s science department being extended and refurbished, as well as new classroom spaces, improved sports and gym facilities, external play spaces, and an additional dining area. “We’re pleased to see works have completed on this dedicated space for year seven pupils at Barr’s Hill School. This being our second project through Pagabo’s National Framework and for Coventry City Council,” said Chris Flint, Managing Director of G F Tomlinson. “The expansion and improvement of the school will ultimately provide 310 additional places, as well as a dedicated space to help pupils prepare and adjust for secondary education. We look forward to seeing the school welcome pupils into the new space.” Procured through Pagabo’s National Framework for Medium Works, this is the second scheme G F Tomlinson have successfully delivered for Coventry City Council – the first being the £3.7 million development of Cardinal Newman Catholic School in Coventry. The school, whose most recent exam results place it in the top 1% nationally, currently offers 780 places for children aged 11-16, plus 140 sixth form students, and has an expansion plan to ensure it provides a total of 1100 places in five years’ time. “The new spaces are transformational, they offer students exceptional learning environments to go alongside their exceptional achievements. It was wonderful to see the amazed faces of the year seven students going into The Bridge for the first time, they could not believe it! We are grateful to G F Tomlinson for the delivery of an exceptional learning space and a well thought through scheme,” concluded Chris Jupp, Headteacher at Barr’s Hill School. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Construction works have begun on a new one form entry school in Lichfield, which has been named the Anna Seward Primary School. In August, Midlands-based main contractor G F Tomlinson began work on the 1,500sqm site, which is due for completion in summer 2023. G F Tomlinson is working alongside Staffordshire County Council, design and project managers Entrust and architects Arc Partnership. The £7 million, two-storey building will offer 210 primary school and 26 nursery places and is being developed to expand primary school provision in Lichfield in response to an increased demand for places in the local area. It will welcome its first cohort of new students in September next year. G F Tomlinson will be providing opportunities – such as site visits and work experience placements – for local schools to increase social value within the area. The team will also liaise with residents through regular newsletters and site entrance information boards to keep them updated with the latest project news. A key milestone in the project was celebrated this month when Jonathan Price, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, and representatives from Staffordshire County Council and G F Tomlinson were in attendance to mark the placement of the final steel beam. The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership, which will manage the school once complete, was also in attendance including newly-appointed headteacher Richard Storer. This will be G F Tomlinson’s sixth project for Staffordshire County Council, which is being delivered through the Constructing West Midlands (CWM) Framework, having most recently completed Bramshall Meadows First School in Uttoxeter and Fradley Park Primary School in Lichfield. Chris Flint, managing director at G F Tomlinson, said: “We feel honoured to be delivering our sixth project for Staffordshire County Council. It’s fantastic to be able to play an important part in increasing more school places in the local area, which are in high demand. “We’re excited to see the school take shape over the coming months and welcome in a brand-new cohort of students in September next year, as the children embark on their educational journeys.” Jonathan Price, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, said: “Having planned this school for a while in response to an increased need for primary school places in the area, it is really good to see the progress being made on site. “It is essential that we continue to plan ahead in response to local housing developments, to ensure there are enough school places to cope with increased demand. I will look forward to seeing how the construction on this school progresses over the coming months.” Richard Gill CBE, the CEO of academy sponsor Arthur Terry Learning Partnership, commented: “It’s hugely exciting to see many months of planning coming to fruition as building work begins at Anna Seward Primary, which becomes the landmark 20th school within our Trust. “The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership has built a highly-respected reputation for delivering excellence in education to primary and secondary school pupils at our existing schools in Lichfield and beyond. Parents of prospective pupils can expect such high standards at Anna Seward Primary. “Our recent school open evening and online and in-person school consultations have shown that many parents are taking a very keen interest in the school, with good numbers already indicating that Anna Seward is their first choice.” To find out more about the school and further information about student places, visit: https://annaseward.atlp.org.uk and follow @AnnaSeward_pri and @the_atlp on Twitter. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
In a bid to drive growth for the city, Leeds Trinity University will be establishing a city centre location at a building on 1 Trevelyan Square. The University has secured a lease on the 57,000 square foot building, which is located just off Boar Lane in the heart of the city, subject to a ‘change of use’ planning application. Despite the announcement of the new building, Leeds Trinity’s campus in Horsforth, located just six miles from Leeds, will continue to be central to its offer – including new programmes in Nursing and Biomedical Science, which are being designed to respond to key public sector workforce needs in the City Region. “I am delighted to confirm that we are at the early stages of establishing a city centre location at 1 Trevelyan Square, Leeds, to complement our campus in Horsforth. Colleagues involved in this process have been hugely impressed by the potential of the building, the opportunities it will provide for our future students, and our ability to align with city-based partners and businesses as a career-led university,” said Professor Charles Egbu, Vice-Chancellor at Leeds Trinity University. “Leeds Trinity remains fully committed to Horsforth, which will continue to offer students a supportive and engaging experience. Overall, this is a significant investment by the university, which will support our strategic ambitions to drive growth.” The plan to establish a city centre base is part of Leeds Trinity University’s growth ambitions, set out in its Strategic Plan 2021-26, which is underpinned by increasing engagement in the Leeds City Region. A city base to complement its existing campus in Horsforth will enable the University to work more closely with key partners and employers to bring new opportunities for its students, contribute to the continued growth of Leeds city centre and support demand for skills. In addition, by refurbishing an existing building, the University is seeking to contribute to sustainable development in the city centre. This comes as Leeds Trinity University has been ranked top for student experience in Yorkshire and the Humber and second for teaching quality in the region, in The Times and Sunday Times Good Universities Guide 2023. Nationally, the institution was placed 18th in the UK for student experience and joint 24th for teaching quality, reflecting high rates of student satisfaction in the latest National Student Survey (NSS). Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
ASHE Group has been awarded two contracts totalling nearly £30 million to deliver net zero schools for Hertfordshire County Council. The builder has already commenced work on a new £14.5 million primary school, which will be operated by the Avanti Academy Trust. The new primary school, due to open in September 2023, will provide school places for 420 children living locally. The school will offer up to 30 places at Reception as well as 26 places for nursery aged children each year from September 2023. The school size will increase year on year as the school’s first pupils progress through their school life. “We’re committed to developing sustainable communities in Hertfordshire, providing residents with the infrastructure needed to make new developments great places to live – this includes providing good local schools which children can walk to,” said Cllr Terry Douris, Executive Member for Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning at Hertfordshire County Council. “The children joining the school in September will have the unique distinction in that they’ll be able to look at the school in 50 years’ time and say that was my school from day one. The school is being built with the future in mind; by prioritising environmental sustainability in construction and operation, we’re taking a big step towards building a cleaner, greener and healthier Hertfordshire.” The school is planning to generate its own power and be ‘net zero in operation’ using air source heating, photovoltaics and will be gas free, relying on electricity. The project aims to increase the local biodiversity by around 20% with bird and bat boxes, and green roofs included in the scheme. Once completed, the school will be Net Carbon Zero in operation, using only electricity for power and heating, aided by photovoltaic (solar) panels which will help to generate the electricity needed to run the school. “We are delighted to be breaking ground on yet another Net Zero Carbon School for Hertfordshire County Council. This significant investment in sustainable infrastructure demonstrates Hertfordshire County Council’s intention to address the climate emergency head on, and we are proud to be able to assist in delivering a building that is part of the solution in ensuring that there is a brighter future for the students of Avanti Brook School,” added Andrew Morris, Business Development Director at ASHE Construction. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals