Midlands contractor G F Tomlinson has completed the latest phase of works on the expansion and renovation of King Edward VI School in Lichfield, Staffordshire. Comprising two phases of works led by G F Tomlinson for Staffordshire County Council under the Staffordshire Construction framework, the project involves the delivery of a new extension to an existing building, as well as the construction of a new modular building to provide essential replacement teaching spaces at the co-educational comprehensive for pupils aged 11 to 18. Phase one, which is progressing well, is expected to be complete in spring 2021, and involves the construction of a new three-storey extension on the site of a former swimming pool, which has been closed for over ten years. The extension will provide the school with enhanced teaching and auxiliary spaces, as well as an administration area on the lower ground floor, which will be the location of the school’s new student services area. Phase two started in spring this year and is now complete – works involved the demolition of the existing accommodation buildings, replacing them with a brand new standalone modern modular structure to provide enhanced science laboratory teaching facilities. This is the second contract secured by G F Tomlinson through the Staffordshire Construction framework for Staffordshire County Council, led by Entrust Property Services, and follows the successful delivery of the £5.2m Poppyfields Primary School in Cannock last summer, as part of a major housing development in the area. Building on a winning collaboration following Poppyfields Primary School, G F Tomlinson once again appointed Arc Partnership to provide architectural and engineering services for works at King Edward VI School. Ideal Modular, part of G F Tomlinson’s existing supply chain, was also appointed to deliver the modular element of this project. During the course of the construction works, G F Tomlinson has been looking to engage with both staff and students at the school. Once COVID-19 guidelines allow, the site management team will perform virtual live site tours for the school to report project progress and allow them to raise any queries they have. Chris Flint, director of G F Tomlinson, said: “We are pleased to have completed the latest phase of this project for our client Staffordshire County Council. The works are providing the school with a much-needed renovation, by removing older buildings and replacing them with brand new, optimised teaching spaces and facilities. These important changes to the school will maximise the space and have a positive impact on the overall experience of both the pupils and the staff. “We continue to enjoy productive partnerships with Staffordshire County Council, Arc Partnership and Entrust Property Services, as well as all of our local supply chain partners on the framework, and look forward to seeing the next phase of the renovation at King Edward VI School progress over the coming months.” County Councillor Jonathan Price, Cabinet Member for Education said: “Ensuring we can meet the needs of local parents and provide enough school places to accommodate increased demand is incredibly important. Once finished, the work to King Edwards will enable the school to expand by 150 pupils by September 2021. It’s really good to see this stage of the construction completed, and it has already transformed the look of the school whilst creating extra space for staff and pupils.” John Doherty, CEO of Entrust Support Services, said: “We are delighted to have project managed the construction of the new teaching facilities at King Edward VI School. This has been a complex project which we are proud to have worked on alongside our partners G F Tomlinson, Staffordshire County Council and the school. We are confident these new spaces will support pupil’s learning for a long time to come.” Jane Rutherford, headteacher at King Edward VI School, said: “We are delighted to be moving in to our new science accommodation in November and by Easter 2021, the staff and students will also benefit from new teaching accommodation for History and refurbished areas linked to Art, Drama and Geography. “The support from Staffordshire County Council in providing 21st century facilities for our students and the partnership with the project team at Entrust has been hugely important to us. G F Tomlinson has undertaken a complex project, delivered while we have over 1500 students on site and we cannot speak highly enough of this working partnership. Our students and staff are looking forward to our new and improved working environment.” Staffordshire County Council is leading this project, with project management from ENTRUST, G F Tomlinson acting as main contractors and Arc partnership acting as architect and structural engineer.

A NEW £9 million primary school built on the former RAF Locking base and surrounding land in North Somerset has welcomed its first cohort of pupils – after construction completed in time for the 2020/21 academic year, despite setbacks caused by COVID-19. The Parklands Educate Together Primary School, in Weston-super-Mare, has been designed and built to meet the needs of staff, pupils and the local community – delivering 14 modern classrooms, a multi-use games area, main hall, hard and soft informal play areas, and a habitat area. Initially, the school will provide 420 primary school places and a self-contained pre-school, with capacity to expand to 630 places when required. Property, construction and infrastructure consultancy Perfect Circle was appointed by North Somerset Council via Scape Group’s National Built Environment Consultancy Services (BECS) framework to provide cost management and quantity surveying (QS) services for the project. Victoria Brambini, managing director of Perfect Circle, said: “We are delighted to have supported with the opening of the new Parklands Educate Together Primary School, which has created 420 much-needed school places for pupils in the local community. “Throughout the project, we worked collaboratively with contractor Willmott Dixon, which was appointed via Scape’s National Construction framework, to overcome a number of challenges, namely the coronavirus pandemic. This effective collaboration across two of Scape’s frameworks ensured that a spacious, light and innovative primary school was delivered in time for the start of the new academic year.” A temporary building to house pupils from the new, nearby housing development originally opened just around the corner from the new site in September 2018. Another provisional building was added a year later to expand the school to four classrooms. The permanent site welcomed pupils to the finished building on Monday, 7 September 2020. William Phillips, regional lead for the South West at Perfect Circle, said: “During the height of coronavirus in the UK when numerous restrictions were in place, we were uncertain whether the school was going to be ready in time for the upcoming academic year. “However, as the school had been operating out of temporary buildings for the past two years, the entire team was committed to ensuring that, despite construction taking place in the middle of a pandemic, the building would be ready to welcome pupils in September. “Credit has to go to Willmott Dixon and its supply chain for their efforts adapting to the new site operating procedures under COVID-19 restrictions, as well as the council’s internal project management team for ensuring the scheme maintained momentum. “Due to the challenging circumstances, we spent more time than usual on the scheme, getting costs agreed between the client and contractor in order to keep things moving and get the project finished on time. And, despite the COVID-19 restrictions that were implemented, the school was able to open its doors to pupils this week, which was a huge success for everyone involved, and fantastic news for the school and local community.” Scape’s BECS framework offers direct access to the most extensive property, construction and infrastructure consultancy services available to the public sector. The fully OJEU-compliant procurement route brings together the strongest collaborative team with value for money, while contributing substantially to local social value. Mark Robinson, Scape Group chief executive, said: “The new Parklands Educate Together primary school will significantly enhance the lives of young children and their families across the Locking Parklands community. This state-of-the-art project demonstrates the ability of the public sector to overcome the obstacles presented by Covid-19 and its ongoing commitment to supporting the economic recovery. “The delivery team at North Somerset Council, Perfect Circle and Willmott Dixon deserve an immense amount of credit for adapting to the new Covid-19 operating procedures. We’re proud that our frameworks and expert partners have helped to provide the school with an innovative learning environment for the start of the academic year.” For more information on Perfect Circle, please visit www.perfectcircle.co.uk.

Work has started on a new £4.85m, two-storey early years and infant building at Withernsea Primary School in Holderness, East Riding of Yorkshire. The project will involve the construction of 11 new classrooms, a hall, studio, kitchen with servery, offices and staff facilities, covering 1,635 square feet of gross internal floor area. An official ground-breaking ceremony took place on land adjacent to the site to mark the start of construction.  The scheme, which is being delivered by Henry Boot Construction, will retain the school’s original Victorian schoolhouse – a heritage asset – which will be retained for further educational use. The project will also involve the demolition of the school’s existing South Building, with pupils remaining in the existing school facilities for the start of the 2020/21 academic year until the work is completed. In addition to the new block, the school’s existing playgrounds will be retained and enhanced, with the site’s existing car park also extended.  The project is the second scheme Henry Boot Construction has undertaken as part of the Department for Education’s £4.4billion Priority School Building Programme (PSBP). Tony Shaw, Operations Director at Henry Boot Construction, said: “This project is hugely significant for Withernsea Primary School and its surrounding catchment areas and is one we’re extremely proud to be delivering. “We have worked closely with the Department for Education during the planning process in order to create a new, sustainable, modern environment which will become a vital part of thousands of pupils’ education.” Withernsea Primary School Headteacher, Angela Harper, said: “Construction starting of the new building here at Withernsea is a landmark moment in our recent history. “It’s taken a good deal of planning and time to get to this point and we can’t wait for the new building to be completed. I look forward to welcoming the youngest school age children from Withernsea into brand new, purpose-built facilities which they deserve.” Withernsea Academy Trust is part of the Hull Collaborative Academy Trust (HCAT), which was formed by four primary school heads who had a passion for School Improvement in 2013. The Academy Trust has now grown to 14 Primary Schools and one Secondary. HCAT CEO Estelle Macdonald OBE said: “It is fantastic that the Children of Withernsea will be able to learn in a brand-new, high-quality educational environment and we look forward to the day we can welcome the first pupils in next year.” For more information on Withernsea Primary School, visit https://withernseaprimary.co.uk/news/.  For more information on Henry Boot Construction visit https://www.henrybootconstruction.co.uk and for more on the Department for Education’s Priority School Building Programme, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/priority-school-building-programme-psbp. 

Plans to deliver an essential new school for east Birmingham in 2021 remain on track, despite the challenges of one of the wettest winters on record and the recent Covid-19 crisis. The Eden Boys’ Leadership Academy, Birmingham East is an 800-place multi-faith school being delivered by Wates Construction in the Alum Rock area of Birmingham, on behalf of Star Academies, one of the leading Multi Academy Trusts in the country. Construction work on the school started in January this year and is set to complete in April 2021, in time for the new academic year in September. John Carlin, Wates Construction’s Regional Managing Director for the Midlands, said that a combination of adapting working practices on site and a focus on using offsite manufacturing had ensured the project remained on programme. He said: “We commenced groundworks during a period of incredibly poor weather, followed almost immediately by the Covid-19 crisis, so it’s a real testament to the dedication of the team that the project remains very much on target for its completion date in 2021. “As with all our sites, there was a short period of lockdown in line with Government guidelines but we were then able to restart the site once we had established a series of protocols that would ensure the safety of everybody working on the project.” “We are now nearing the completion of the superstructure of the main building and over the next two months we will add the steel frame system and the façade. Importantly we are also working closely with our mechanical, electrical and plumbing partner, SES Engineering Services, to integrate a number of innovative offsite solutions that are driving significant efficiencies in the build programme and helping reduce the number of people we need on site.” The new school is situated on a 3.5 hectare site and includes a three-storey teaching block, a sports hall and winter and summer sports pitches. The site will also include space for 94 car parking spaces and 96 cycle spaces. Star Academies is one of the UK’s most successful academy trusts, with many of its schools topping the league tables in terms of progress for 11-16 year olds, and John believes the new school will provide a fantastic facility for the local community. He said: “Creating an enduring legacy is fundamental to our approach at Wates and we believe this school will not only provide great facilities for the local community today, but fantastic opportunities for generations to come.” David Holland, Executive Director of Capital Programmes & Estates at Star Academies, said: “Wates’ proactive approach to delivery and their desire to maintain programme despite the many challenges faced has been very impressive.  Staff and pupils are very much looking forward to the handover of the new school next year”

The construction of three existing schools, which will accommodate an additional 990 students in Sandwell, has just been started by Willmott Dixon. The £23.8 million projects include Q3 Academy Langley, West Bromwich Collegiate Academy and Bristnall Hall Academy, all three being able to provide school places from September 2021. Designed in conjunction with Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council and ADP Architecture, the facilities are being built as part of the authority’s Schools Capital Programme 2019-2021. “We are very excited to be on-site at these three prominent developments within Sandwell – these schemes will provide much-needed school places for the local community throughout its period of rapid expansion,” said Michelle Cotterill, operations director at Willmott Dixon. “We have experience within the education industry and a proven track record of working in live education environments. We are delighted to be providing Sandwell Council with a trio of high-quality education facilities,” Michelle added. The specifications for the development, which have been procured via the Constructing West Midlands Framework, include the following: extending the existing teaching accommodation including providing a theatre, new multi-use hall and completion of all external spaces at Q3 Academy Langley, the completion of a new specialist teaching block, a sports hall and a new sports pitch at West Bromwich Collegiate Academy and the provision of a new stand-alone building comprising of teaching, kitchen and dining facilities at Bristnall Hall Academy.

To coincide with the August opening of Birch, the ‘next-generation escape’ hotel just outside London, international architecture and interiors practice Red Deer have considered how Covid19 challenges the luxury hotel market. Covid19 has created a distance between us for a period of time, but when we come back together in the coming years, Red Deer believes that a new shift in the luxury market will emerge from our time apart. Red Deer consider the term ‘luxury’ as degraded through overuse, and the parameters of what constitutes a ‘luxury hotel’ can be tricky to define. The concept can be specific to each individual guest, based on their own expectation, habits and culture. For Red Deer, luxury comes from the creation of a meaningful emotional connection between the hotel guest and the space they inhabit.  Forbes contributor Pamela N. Danziger writes: “Millennials represent only about 32% of spending in the personal luxury market, but by 2025 they are expected to make up 50% of the total market. Some 130% of market growth in the next seven years will be attributed to the Millennial generation.” The luxury industry has often aligned with indulgence and excess rather than sustainability and connections. Quality craftsmanship and experiences may continue to command a premium price tag, however, Millennials are creating a new focus towards sustainability. Both Millennial and Gen Z groups’ expectations from luxury brands are very different from those of Gen X and Baby Boomers who favour traditional wealth values. Social connections and insider knowledge are of more importance to these younger consumers who are more likely to make value-based acquisitions and purchases. Luxury weaves its way through their experiences, free time, travel, community, self-growth and security. For the Birch hotel project, Red Deer deconstructed the meaning of a hotel and pieced it back together to ensure that no element was intrinsic without careful consideration. The obvious need for a bed and bathroom are present, however, more attention was given to the contemporary ‘luxuries’ such as a TV, telephone and smart lighting systems to ascertain their place in a luxury hotel for an increasingly younger generation of guests. As the landscape for luxury hospitality has evolved, the onus is now focused on creating a unique and personalised one-to-one experience for guests. This bespoke experience is a key driver throughout the design of Red Deer’s projects. With Birch, Red Deer felt it crucial to collaborate with local artists and makers to create some unique pieces in the rooms and challenge the idea that uniformity was essential for large batch furniture specification. The most prominent of these pieces is a bespoke valet stand constructed by Jan Hendzel Studio, utilising recycled plastic orbs by sustainable material designer Charlotte Kidger, textured vases by ceramicist Emma Louise Payne and hand-beaten copper bowls by metalsmith Lucie Naujalis. It’s a piece that is intimate and personal, telling a story of three different elements brought together in a single form that is simultaneously light and robust, whilst able to be easily taken apart when required and updated over time. It’s a piece designed to stimulate the guest’s senses and spark their curiosity. Before the pandemic, the global luxury market was predicted to reach €1.3 trillion by 2025. As the hospitality industry enters a challenging period in Q2/3 2020 it is ever-important for the designers and hotel investors to consider the changing market needs and place social connections and insider knowledge alongside premium experiences at the forefront of their business models. Hotels aren’t just bedrooms with smart technology, but memory-making experiences that create value and loyalty. Red Deer believe Birch to be an example of how hospitality projects should be approached, considering a long-term commitment to sustainability within a renovation or new build as a crucial component of architectural design.