The scheme for Kier Construction will provide three two-storey wings for a new secondary school in the village of Cambourne in Cambridgeshire.
The 7,000 sqm project for Cambridgeshire County Council is the first new secondary school to be constructed in the county for 30 years. It will accommodate 750 secondary pupils.
Designed by Frank Shaw Associates and due for completion by early summer 2013, the project is using modern methods of construction to deliver the new school.
The use of off-site construction will help to reduce the programme time to just 35 weeks. A cross-laminated timber structure will be used for the central core that accommodates the larger communal spaces such as the dining and sports halls and gym.
Kier Construction contracts manager Simon Bates said “In order for the new building to be fully operational for the council’s deadline next year, the time available for construction was reduced. Taking an off-site approach for the project was the ideal solution, which allowed us to reduce the programme. This project follows the success of our work with Yorkon on a major healthcare scheme in Colchester, where we were impressed with the speed and quality of their building system.”
The new steel-framed building system will reduce the number of modules needed for the teaching areas by around half, to just 60 large 18m-long units, Yorkon said. This reduces the vehicle movements to site as well as the work required on site and crane needs. There will also be fewer internal columns to facilitate space planning.
Each module will be delivered to site with a pre-installed concrete floor, further reducing work on site and improving quality control, Yorkon added.
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
