Location: Dowdales School, Dalton-in-Furness
Client: Cumbria County Council
Employers Agent: Day Cummins Architects
Principal Designer: Enviro Building Solutions Ltd
Contract Type: JCT Design & Build Contract 2016

Project Summary

• Two bay modular classroom building
• Floor area 75m²
• 2 modular bays
• All groundworks and foundations
• Electrical and mechanical works
• Completed September 2017
• Project value £125,000

Dowdales School began life in 1928 as a selective school for 200 pupils, built around a small Victorian mansion. In 1967 it was reorganised as a comprehensive school and is now a community comprehensive school accommodating both boys and girls in the age range 11-16, with some 1000 pupils on roll.

This is a popular, high achieving school which is consistently oversubscribed. In June 2017 Enviro Building Solutions was approached by Day Cummins Architects to establish the feasibility of providing a modular building on hire for three years to serve as an additional classroom. The building had to be commissioned on-site in time for the September 2017 intake.

The location and timeframe presented numerous challenges. From receipt of the initial enquiry at the end of June, Enviro Building Solutions successfully designed the project, refurbished an existing two-bay modular building to a high standard and installed the classroom ready for use by early September 2017.

Short deadlines and logistical challenges

The Dowdales School project called for the provision of modular buildings to be used as a single stand-alone classroom, supplied on a long term hire basis within a time window of just a few short weeks in line with school holidays and new term intake requirements.

To meet this demanding time frame and to optimise budgets, Enviro Building Solutions proposed the use of an existing modular building refurbished to a high standard from stock. Foundations were prepared on-site and services laid whilst work on the building was completed offsite to speed up the process.

Communicating to minimise local disruption

The key challenges on this project were time and location. This was a very tight site close to Dalton-in-Furness and accessed only by small country lanes, presenting real difficulties for transportation of the two finished modular bays. With potential congestion in mind, Enviro Building Solutions planned the installation for a quieter weekend date, to minimise disruption on the roads. The company also completed a comprehensive leaflet drop for local residents, explaining the processes and advising of delays.

The immediate approach to the site was also challenging, up a hill with a significant tree canopy which had to be protected from damage. In addition, the chosen site at the school was very close to an existing building, which meant that craning the bays off the lorry was a difficult task.

Despite the logistical challenges, Enviro Building Solutions gave Dowdales School exactly what they had requested, on time and at the right price.

Location: St Stephens Community Primary School, Saltash
Client: Cornwall Council
Employer’s Agent: MACE Limited
Principal Designer: Bailey Partnership
Contract Type: NEC3 Engineering & Construction Contract (Option A)

Project Summary

• Single storey school block incorporating classrooms, specialist practical rooms, washrooms, undercroft store
• Floor area 500m²
• 17 modular bays
• All groundworks, foundation and drainage works undertaken
• Electrical and mechanical works
• Completed September 2018
• Project value £1.1M

Located in a residential area just outside the centre of Saltash, Cornwall, St Stephen’s Community Primary School accommodates girls and boys from ages 4 to 11. When Cornwall Council was looking to expand the school from a 1.5 form entry (315 pupils) to a 2 form entry (420 pupils), offsite construction methods provided a practical and achievable solution.

The project presented a very challenging time frame; pupil places were required for the September 2018 intake, and late confirmation on funding allocation meant that more traditional construction methods were not feasible.

The initial design proposed by architects Bailey Partnership was carefully adapted for offsite, volumetric and modular solutions by Enviro Building Solutions. The scheme was developed and delivered with an onsite period of just 10 weeks. As a result, both the September 2018 and the previous September 2017 intake now benefit from a new and exceptional teaching environment.

Offsite Modular Construction – saving time and money

The offsite approach adopted for this project speeded up the construction process considerably in line with the requirements of the client, with external works completed concurrently with the manufacture of high quality, factory-built modules by Enviro Building Solutions.

Overall costs were reduced too; if a traditional onsite solution had been used in this instance, the Local Authority would have had to hire another temporary classroom for at least 3-6 months to accommodate the September 2018 intake.

A reduced programme of works on site also helped to mitigate many potential health and safety risks, with less disruption for pupils, teachers, staff and parents. In addition, as the school is located in a quiet, residential area, a reduced number of site deliveries and site construction traffic also reduced noise and disruption for the local community.

Sustainable and cost effective

The building also offers significant benefits in use. It is designed to be highly sustainable in terms of its life cycle costs; it reduced wastage during construction, was delivered more quickly and cost less to build. Its enhanced performance and maintenance-free materials will cost less to run over its lifetime and therefore reduce school maintenance costs.

Enhanced U-Values and improved air tightness, alongside the considered architectural design, allowed for a state of the art, highly energy efficient educational environment that exceeded expectations.

The building has been extremely well received by the schools’ staff, parents, pupils, and local residents and is a testament to the quality of work from offsite construction company Enviro Building Solutions. In fact the project was also nominated and shortlisted for ‘Education Project of the Year’ at the Offsite Awards 2019

Location: Riverside Primary School, Rainham
Client: Medway Council
Employers Agent: Harbledown Construction Consultants Ltd
Principal Designer: Enviro Building Solutions Ltd
Contract Type: JCT Design & Build Contract 2011

Project Summary

• Two storey school block incorporating classrooms, offices and washrooms
• Floor area 860m²
• 28 modular bays
• All groundworks, foundations and drainage works
• Electrical and mechanical works
• Completed June 2018
• Project value £969,000

Riverside Primary School is an Academy Converter school with a nursery intake, accommodating children between the ages of 3 and 11. The school focuses on delivering a fun, rich and varied curriculum, encouraging children to engage in their learning and prepare for the next stage in their lives.

Expansion at this popular school required the construction of a significant extension alongside the existing building, consisting of a two storey block housing classrooms, offices and washroom facilities.

Modular building construction methods provided the perfect solution for this application, with Enviro Building Solutions completing all groundworks and foundations during the Easter vacation then finishing the complex build during the spring bank holiday break, minimising disruption and eliminating the necessity for construction works on site whilst the school was operational.

Safety in action

This was a significant expansion to the existing footprint for Riverside Primary School. In total, the new school building consists of 28 modular bays, constructed offsite then delivered to site to create a high quality, purpose-built learning environment.

Construction sites can be busy and dangerous places. Working together, the Enviro Building Solutions specialists and the Riverside team made the decision to limit the school construction to holiday periods to limit any site safety risks. All foundation and groundworks requiring plant such as excavators and dumper trucks were completed during the Easter holidays when the school premises were closed to pupils and staff, optimising health and safety procedures.

An EPC ‘A’ rated building

Enviro Building Solutions were back on site when the school closed for the spring bank break to complete the complex task of bringing together 28 modular bays across two storeys, including all interior finishing work. The scope of the project also including laying areas of tarmac for access, landscaping, fencing, the creation of soft play areas and attractive canopies to front and rear of the building.

Enviro Building Solutions has an extensive portfolio of educational build projects. The company is often requested to act as school construction consultants on projects as diverse as classroom blocks, extensions, SEND classrooms and sports/changing facilities, providing expert advice and adding value at every stage.

Demonstrating the energy-efficient properties of modular building solutions and the quality of build achieved by Enviro Building Solutions, the new Riverside Primary School building has achieved an excellent EPC ‘A’ rating, underlining the quality and sustainability of the build.