SB 4152 Web

Winter 2O18 issue 4152 

School 

building 

The Smart Choice for Electric Heating 

Go west… 

We check out Western Building 

Systems' offsite & hybrid 

construction projects 

Sentinel Commercial 

Advice how & when to review 

water quality in education 

sector boiler plants 

Streets ahead 

The McAvoy Group, looks at 

the design of a new state-ofthe-art 

academy in Slough 

p 4 

p 8 

p 28

Dear Reader, 

Welcome to the Winter issue of 

School Building. 

This month Nicolas Maari, Head of 

Architecture at Pellings, looks at 

the dilemma of needing more 

schools where there’s not the land 

available to build, and the pros and 

cons of using existing buildings – 

including old office blocks, 

factories or hospitals. 

Our case studies include The 

McAvoy Group’s design and offsite 

construction of the Lynch Hill 

Enterprise Academy, a £20m 

education campus and one of the 

largest ever modular schools to be 

built in the UK. We also visit the 

£38m School of Chemical and 

Process Engineering faculty which 

was transformed as part of the 

University of Leeds’ ambitious 

£520m five-year programme of 

works, by principal contractor 

Galliford Try, and M&E specialist 

contractor SES Engineering 

Services. 

And as a solution to capacity and 

quality issues, a new report 

commissioned by Net Zero 

Buildings points the way to off-site 

building and longer term leases. 

If you’d like us to showcase your 

latest project, please get in touch, 

we love hearing from our readers! 

Regards, 

School 

Winter 2O18 issue 4152 

building 

14 Modular Building - The Stable Company 

As schools face mounting pressure to increase places, the search for simple, 

cost-effective additional learning capacity, while maintaining standards, 

continues. 

16 Editor’s Article - School report hails off-site construction 

A new report points the way to off-site building and longer term leases - as 

solutions to current capacity and quality issues within the school’s estate - and 

Redmoor School is a prime example of the new way forward. 

22 Interior Design & Fit Out - Enhance school interiors with Gradus 

Lynette Bowden, Group Product Manager for Gradus, looks at what contractors 

may want to consider during the specification stage to help create a safe 

environment for students. 

27 In My Opinion - The challenge of the conversion 

Nicolas Maari, Head of Architecture at Pellings, thinks that the quality of 

children’s education should not be compromised in the rush to provide for 

increased pupil numbers. 

28 Case Study - Streets ahead, & weeks ahead! 

Raymond Millar, Construction Director at The McAvoy Group, looks at the 

design and offsite construction of a new state-of-the-art academy in Slough 

and how it was delivered weeks ahead of programme. 

Juliet Davies 

Editor > Juliet Davies 

juliet.davies@wavcoms.co.uk 

Advertising > Nasser Agha-Khan 

schoolbuilding@wavcoms.co.uk 

Press Releases 

press@schoolbuilding.org.uk 

Design > Ellie Rich 

design@wavcoms.co.uk 

Circulation 

circulation@wavcoms.co.uk 

Enquiries 

01827 301188 

Publisher’s Statement. 

School Building is published 4 times a year. 

Printed in England. All rights reserved. No 

part of School Building may be reproduced 

or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted 

in any form without prior permission of the 

publisher. Whilst every effort is made to 

ensure the accuracy of editorial content, the 

editor and publishers do not accept 

responsibility for errors or loss and damage 

caused by any statements, claims or 

observations made by contributors, authors 

and their agents. 

Waverley Communications Limited 

Reg. No. 4805329 

www.wavcoms.co.uk 

Special Features 

8 > Heating, Ventilation & Energy 

14 > Modular Buildings 

18 > Interior Design & Fit Out 

Electric Heating is often perceived to be 

expensive and uncontrollable and thus often 

overlooked as a suitable heating system for 

Schools. However, a new era for Electric Heating 

has arrived thanks to a Regulation change, ‘LOT 

20, and new technologies being developed 

which demonstrate Electric Heating can operate 

in conjunction with Renewables and play a part 

in managing the Grid for Demand Response 

purposes. Calum Black, Operations Director of 

The Electric Heating Company explores these 

developments in more detail and the impact 

these could have for Schools. 

For more information see page 6 

26 > Kitchens & Washrooms 

28 > Exterior Building 

Building Specifiers can subscribe free of charge to this magazine, please visit 

www.buildingspecifier.com/subscriptions 

Winter 2018 4152 3

Editor’s Article 

Go west… 

Tyrone-based Western Building Systems is a family-owned specialist construction business that celebrates its 35th anniversary 

in 2018. They have delivered a wide range of significant traditional, offsite and hybrid construction projects throughout the UK 

and Ireland within the health, education, industrial, commercial and residential sectors. 

Western Building Systems design 

and manufacture all of its 

buildings’ key components 

including windows, internal door sets, 

furniture and walls, ensuring both 

consistent quality as well a controlled 

programme delivery. 

The first phase of a major contract at 

Firhouse Educate Together National School, 

Dublin 24, has recently been completed. The 

project forms part of the Department of 

Education and Skills’ wider Design and Build 

Schools 2016-17 framework. Western 

Building Systems was appointed to complete 

the build of two new schools at the Firhouse 

Campus. 

“We are delighted to have 

handed over the Letterkenny 

Educate Together National 

School – the school has been 

totally transformed which will 

hopefully benefit the 

surrounding community for 

decades to come”. 

The project involved the detailed design, 

construction, removal of existing schools, 

landscaping and access route improvement 

for the site which accommodates two 

schools; Firhouse Educate Together National 

School and neighbouring Irish speaking 

school, Gaelscoil na Giuise. 

With a total contract award figure of over 

€10m, the project represents considerable 

investment in the education needs of the 

surrounding South Dublin community at 

Firhouse. 

Phase One saw the construction of Firhouse 

Educate Together National School. Spanning 

an impressive 3050m2 the build included 

the construction of a state-of-the-art steelframed 

building housing 16 classrooms, two 

special needs units, support teaching spaces 

as well as various other accommodation 

spaces. 

The second school, Gaelsccoil na Giuise, will 

occupy a similar layout of 16 brand new 

classrooms, two special needs units, support 

teaching spaces and various other versatile 

spaces. In total the school will span 3165m2. 

With the entire site spanning 1.9 hectares, 

external works will see a further two storage 

buildings, bin stores, a playing pitch, ball 

courts, project gardens, cycle storage, 

landscaping, boundary treatment as well as 

the construction of a new permanent 

vehicular access road. 

“We are incredibly proud to hand over the 

first phase of Firhouse ETNs with such a 

high-quality finish on time and on budget,” 

said Eamonn Boyle, Western Building 

Systems’ Project Manager. “The next phase 

of the project, the transformation of the Irish 

speaking school, Gaelscoil na Giuise, looks 

set be another fantastic addition for the 

surrounding community to enjoy for years 

to come.” 

Classrooms are airy and bright 

Another major new contract at Letterkenny 

Educate Together National School at 

Ballyraine, Co Donegal, forms part of the 

Department of Education and Skills’ wider 

Rapid Build Schools Delivery Framework. 

4 

Winter 2018 4152

General-purpose halls offers myriad uses 

Western Building Systems was responsible 

for the design, construction and landscaping 

of the build. 

“We are delighted to have handed over the 

Letterkenny Educate Together National 

School – the school has been totally 

transformed which will hopefully benefit the 

surrounding community for decades to 

come,” said Shane Taggart, Contracts 

Director at Western Building Systems. “The 

quality of the build is something we’re really 

proud of and we couldn’t have achieved it 

without the dedicated local workforce we 

employed to assist with the project. We 

would like to thank the surrounding 

community for their support throughout the 

entire construction process.” 

Over the duration of the project, Western 

Building Systems created 22 new jobs in the 

Letterkenny area. 

The project included the construction of a 

new three-storey building containing 24 

classrooms as well as a GP Hall, a 

library/resource room and other versatile 

multi-purpose accommodation blocks. 

The outside area was transformed to include 

soft and hard play areas, three ballcourts, 

foot and cycle paths, 36 bicycle spaces 

contained within shelters, boundary 

treatments, pedestrian and vehicle access 

roads and car parking. 

Improvements will also provide a more 

streamlined morning and afternoon pickup 

experience for parents with the addition of a 

new separate vehicular entrance and exit 

road from the link road providing access to a 

new car park, set down/drop off zone and 

turning cycle. 

Western Building Systems also landscaped 

the entire site to provide a safe play 

environment in line with current safety 

standards. 

“The building itself is fantastic and has been 

completed to a very high standard,” said 

Áine Fabisiak, principal at Letterkenny 

Educate Together National School. “It is clear 

that the children were kept in mind as the 

end users throughout the process, and little 

touches, for example, each staircase being a 

different colour, has helped to make the 

children feel secure in their new 

surroundings. The systems that have been 

installed are user friendly and we have no 

doubt that the level of aftercare which will 

be provided will be of an equally high 

standard. 

“We look forward to expanding our school 

community in the coming years and to 

making the building our own.” 

5

Article 

A new era for electric heating 

Some recent regulation and technology developments could signal a new era for electric heating. Innovative electric heating 

and hot water experts, The Electric Heating Company, explore these developments and how Schools, offices and public 

buildings could benefit. 

The common perception of Electric 

Heating is that it comprises ageing 

electric storage heaters which are 

expensive to run, often difficult to control 

and provide a poor heating experience. 

However, a new regulation and technology 

developments provide further evidence that 

this perception could not be further from 

the truth. The Electric Heating Company 

(“EHC”) have long been advocates of 

modern electric heating systems and 

welcome this new regulation and 

technology developments. 

A new energy efficiency standard, ‘LOT 20,’ 

technology developments relating to demand 

side response management and 

improvements in the combination of electric 

heating and Renewables all show that electric 

heating should not be discounted as a 

heating solution for your School 

or Property. 

New ‘LOT 20’ Energy Efficiency 

Standards 

On the 1st January 2018, a new regulation 

affecting “the ecodesign requirements for 

local space heaters” became effective. This 

derives from an EU Commission Regulation 

transposed into UK Law under the Energy 

Related Products Regulations (ERP). This new 

regulation is often referred to as ‘LOT 20’ and 

requires any new local space heating system 

installed from this date onwards to be 

compliant with set energy efficiency 

standards. 

The aim of LOT 20 is to reduce the energy 

consumption through accurate management 

and control of electric heating appliances and 

minimise wasted energy. To meet the 

objectives of LOT 20, better use of intelligent 

timers, controls and sensors must be made. 

Standard on/off heating appliances without 

6 

Winter 2018 4152 

such controls will no longer be compliant 

and manufacturers and distributors will no 

longer be able to sell these. 

Any new local space heating system installed 

from 1 January 2018 onwards must be 

compliant with the new LOT 20 performance 

standards. The legislation is not retrospective, 

so existing systems in place will not be 

affected. 

To be LOT 20 compliant, heaters will in 

general now need to include 3 key features: 

• 24/7 time and temperature control, either 

built in or through wireless/WIFI APP. 

• Electronic thermostatic control for accurate 

room temperature measurement. 

• Open window/door recognition so the 

heater can reduce usage if the user leaves a 

door or window open 

reducing the room 

temperature rapidly. Some 

radiators will have a smart 

start facility included, 

which allows the heater to 

choose the time it engages 

to bring the room up to 

the required temperature 

set by the user. 

All heaters must also meet a minimum 

seasonal space heating energy efficiency 

requirement too. 

This new regulation change is welcomed by 

EHC and will stop basic static storage heaters 

and electric panel heaters with basic manual 

controls from being available for sale. All new 

electric heating systems will be fully 

controllable 24/7 for time and 

temperature purposes. Furthermore, 

advanced technology like open 

window sensors should reduce 

consumption when windows or doors 

are left open. 

EHC have been well prepared for this 

new regulation. The EHC DSR Electric 

Combination Radiators, an update to 

the EHC Combination Radiators 

which have proven very popular in 

many Schools across the UK, have 

been LOT 20 compliant since 

January 2017. This range of LOT 20 

compliant radiators continue to 

offer full controllability, ease of 

operation and, on the correct 

Simple homepage of the 

DSR Control System 

electricity tariff, continue to be affordable to 

run. Through a central programmer School 

Janitors will still be able to control the time 

and temperature of the whole heating system 

to suit the School. Room thermostats and 

individual radiator controls also allow 

Teachers to control individual classroom 

temperatures. 

Demand Side Response Technology 

Demand Side Response (“DSR”) is about the 

use of electricity, rather than how it is 

generated, and promotes the smart use of 

energy to shift demand for electricity in real 

time. DSR technology can reduce peaks in 

demand when National Grid might struggle 

to supply and reward for consumption in off 

peak periods. DSR is now widely accepted as 

a smart way for Large Businesses to reduce 

their total energy costs and reduce their 

carbon footprint. Over the past few years, 

DSR technology has been developing rapidly 

and is now ready for implementation on a 

smaller scale. 

EHC have been closely monitoring advances 

in DSR technology and over the past 18 

months have developed their own solution; 

the DSR Electric Combination Radiator. 

Through a Smart WiFi DSR Control System, a 

Consumer can control the time and 

temperature settings of up to 30 radiators 

anytime and anywhere. The special features 

of the DSR system also allow the Consumer 

to limit electricity consumption to avoid 

exceeding the maximum power available or 

to limit consumption in peak periods when 

electricity tariffs are at their most expensive. 

EHC are expanding this DSR Control System 

and are currently trialling the ability of 

this DSR Control 

System to respond 

to external signals 

for frequency 

response and time 

of use tariff 

purposes. This will 

allow groups of DSR 

Electric Combination 

Radiators, potentially 

thousands at a time, 

to have their 

consumption reduced 

or turned off for a 

short period of time 

by an Aggregator. This 

may be required if

frequency problems are detected on the Grid 

or if Power Companies introduce time of use 

tariffs which make it expensive to consume in 

times of peak demand. Further, Power 

Companies may offer Renewable led 

electricity tariffs which provide Consumers 

with cheaper electricity if they consume 

when Renewable generation is prevalent. 

Being able to respond to these requirements 

will reduce electricity costs for Consumers as 

frequency response payments or cheaper 

time of use tariffs are made available. 

The DSR Electric Combination Radiator has 

an element of in built heat storage as a result 

of the magmatic tablets at the core of the 

radiator. This, therefore, should ensure there 

is no compromise to the heating provided for 

Consumers when their heating is turned 

down or off through the DSR Control System. 

This DSR Control System provides further 

evidence that electric heating is a developing 

technology and becoming an even more 

affordable form of heating. As Schools often 

have large heat requirements, the benefits a 

DSR electric heating system could provide 

will be even greater. 

Solar PV Secondary Heating 

In early 2016 EHC were approached by 

several Consumers who installed Solar PV 

arrays across a range of properties. These 

Consumers were mindful of the reduction in 

Feed in Tariff and wanted to increase their 

utilisation of the Solar PV generation to 

achieve greater cost savings. They asked if 

EHC could provide a cost effective solution 

which could increase PV self-consumption 

and provide ‘free’ heating for their Properties. 

Specifically, some wanted to provide 

additional ‘free’ heating for Tenants who are 

elderly or fuel poor. 

To assist these Consumers, EHC designed a 

Solution that utilised Solar PV Ready 

Radiators working in conjunction with an 

Intelligent Controller. This ensured that the 

Property is using all of the Solar PV energy 

being generated and minimising what 

generation is sent back to the Grid. The 

system will operate in a manner that the feed 

in tariff received for generation is not affected 

and can still be received by the appropriate 

party. 

The Solar PV Ready Radiators have a ceramic 

core which benefit from partial storage and 

can operate from as low as a small trickle of 

current being fed to them up to the full 

current required to heat the radiator to its 

maximum output. The Intelligent Controller 

ensures the Property’s power demand e.g. for 

lighting, the kettle, vacuum cleaner, television 

etc. is met first by the Solar PV generation 

and only the excess PV generation not 

otherwise utilised is sent to the Solar PV 

Ready Radiators. The Intelligent Controller 

can also operate with a Hot Water Cylinder 

should the preference be to divert heat to the 

Property’s Hot Water Cylinder during the 

summer months. 

The intention of these Solar PV Ready 

Radiators is not to provide a whole heating 

system for a property but to provide a 

background heat during the day or provide 

heat to rooms which are not normally heated 

e.g. storage cupboards, small classes, meeting 

rooms or offices. 

To prove this Solar PV Secondary Heating 

system can provide benefits and costs 

savings, EHC ran comprehensive trials of the 

system over a 12 month period in 27 

properties. EHC chose an independent third 

party specialist, Delta EE, to monitor and 

analyse the Trial results. 

The final Trial results proved to be 

significantly better than any prior predictions 

made by Delta EE. The Trial results achieved 

were: 

• The Solution increased PV selfconsumption 

on average by 42% 

• Average estimated Annual Bill Savings of 

£42 for properties with Gas Central Heating 

and £185 for properties with all Electric 

Heating 

• Average estimated CO2 Savings of 199kg for 

properties with Gas Central Heating and 

868kg for properties with all Electric Heating 

• Average room temperature increase of 3°C 

in rooms fitted 

The stand out result, however, has been the 

Consumer feedback received. All Consumers 

who participated in the Trials found the 

Solution a benefit and that it ‘makes sense for 

others to use.’ Specifically, some commented 

the difference in room temperatures was 

noticeable and rooms not previously heated 

were now ‘a pleasant temperature.’ Some also 

commented that the financial savings ‘will 

continue to increase if Energy Tariffs 

continue to rise.’ 

With these great results and positive Tenant 

feedback, EHC hope this Solution will be 

given credence by the UK Government in the 

Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) 

Regulations. 

This Solar PV Secondary Heating System 

would ensure that Schools and other 

Buildings with Solar PV arrays installed 

maximise their PV self-consumption. The 

Solar PV Ready Radiators would provide 

additional heat during the day for hard to 

heat rooms and provide cost and CO2 

savings. 

If you would like to find out more about LOT 

20, DSR technology or this innovative Solar 

PV Secondary Heating Solution and discuss 

the Trial results in detail, please do not 

hesitate to contact EHC on 01698 820 533 or 

email info@electric-heatingcompany.co.uk. 

www.electric-heatingcompany.co.uk 


Heating, Ventilation & Energy 

Use shutdown periods to treat heating 

systems, advises Sentinel Commercial 

Water treatment specialist, Sentinel Commercial, is urging building maintenance engineers in the education sector to take 

advantage of planned shutdowns over the holidays to review water quality in boiler plants and implement any necessary 

chemical treatments, such as system cleaning and inhibitor dosing. 

These procedures, 

which can take 

several days or 

more to complete 

depending on the 

size and complexity 

of a system, are 

vital to the health 

of boilers and 

heating systems as 

a whole; those 

which do not receive 

adequate water 

treatment are likely to 

suffer from excess energy 

consumption, poor heat 

transfer, premature repairs and 

parts replacements, and breakdowns. 

“Often, insufficient time is allocated for proper 

water treatment, and this can leave 

commercial heating systems vulnerable to a 

range of very serious and costly problems, 

including complete boiler failure and 

unexpected downtime. Shutdown periods 

represent the ideal opportunity for engineers 

to undertake programmes of best practice 

water treatment, thereby ensuring maximum 

protection and energy efficiency of those 

heating systems,” explained Chris Shelton, 

Sales Director of Sentinel Commercial. 

Best practice water treatment, which 

comprises system cleaning, protection and 

maintenance, is able to deliver lifetime 

protection to boilers and heating system 

components through the prevention of 

corrosion – a phenomena which is otherwise 

inevitable. Limescale build-up (for systems 

located in hard water areas) can also be 

avoided. The benefits of best practice water 

treatment include optimal energy savings, 

heat transfer, and system longevity and 

performance, and meeting boiler warranty 

terms and conditions. Best practice water 

treatment is essential for both new and 

existing heating systems. 

“Allocating adequate time for best practice 

water treatment is especially important when 

replacing boilers – works which are often 

planned during summer holidays - as the 

cleaning process to remove corrosion sludge, 

debris and other harmful foulants from older 

commercial heating systems can sometimes 

take a week or more. If it’s not undertaken 

correctly and contaminants remain in the 

circulating water, system performance, 

efficiency and reliability will remain poor. 

What’s more, the effectiveness of any 

subsequently dosed inhibitor will be 

compromised,” he said. 

“On the other hand, the early application of a 

slower acting cleaner will facilitate a faster 

boiler replacement programme, ensuring that 

the existing system is cleaner and thus easier 

to work with.” 

Water treatment shouldn’t just be limited to 

boiler replacements, however. Mr. Shelton 

advocates periodic assessment of system 

water quality using kits such as Sentinel 

SystemCheck to ensure adequate inhibitor 

concentration and cleanliness of system 

water. He says such checks, which are quick 

to carry out, not only evaluate the health 

and ongoing protection of a heating system 

but also help to identify any necessary 

maintenance and allow it to be undertaken 

in a convenient, controlled manner. 

“Planned preventative maintenance is 

extremely important in the commercial and 

education sectors, helping to limit 

downtime and maintaining normal building 

operation. By regularly checking system 

water, engineers can catch potential 

problems early and take the time to consult 

water treatment specialists on the best 

courses of action – which could be carried 

out during planned shutdowns. Ultimately, 

this approach helps to achieve lifetime 

system protection and optimal energy 

savings,” he concluded. 

www.sentinelprotects.com 

Often, insufficient time 

is allocated for proper 

water treatment, and this can 

leave commercial heating 

systems vulnerable to a range 

of very serious and costly 

problems, including 

complete boiler failure and 

unexpected downtime 

8 


Be relaxed about building services design 

Much of the complexity of 

designing, installing and 

maintaining central heating in 

multi-occupancy low-rise 

buildings can potentially now 

be eliminated. 

Gilberts have created a roomby-room 

solution that 

combines appropriate 

ventilation with heat boost. 

This means that in effect, there 

is no need to provide radiators 

in the rooms in which the new option is fitted. Further, because the 

solution is fitted at ceiling height, it liberates interior design and 

optimises use of floor space. 

The solution focuses around Gilberts’ unique Mistrale Fusion unit 

with an integrated LPHW coil. Just 2 x standard MFS128 (one at 

either end of the room), or 1 x MFS256, will ventilate, and, warm, a 

standard classroom to all Regulatory requirements re air quality. 

“The energy cost of running the unit for morning warm-up has 

been calculated at just £2.19/annum/room(*),” says Gilberts 

Technical Director Roy Jones. “And there’s all the initial capital 

savings attained from the purchase and installation of a central 

heating system, with all the radiators, ductwork, thermostats. MFS 

heat coil delivers a win-win strategy.” 

The stand-alone unit is installed as normal through the building 

façade. The core MFS appliance provides natural ventilation and 

uniquely blends the incoming fresh air with the warmth from the 

exhaust air without the need for a heat exchanger. 

www.gilbertsblackpool.com 

Model DF - 15 & 22 mm 

Rust Free Heating 

Our Dose & Fill unit 

protects pipes 

Avoid the cost and disruption of a heating 

system shutdown with Advanced Pressurisation 

Unit c/w Fluid Category 5 protection 

> No annual testing 

> Comprehensive BMS controls 

> Self-test monitoring system alerting 

Applications: 

of pressurisation fault before heating 

> Filling buckets e.g. campsites system is shut down 

> Filling watering cans e.g. cemetaries 

> High & low pressure cut-outs with 

> Vehicle washdown areas 

> Garden centres 

> Gardens 

boiler control output 

> Anti-seize pump and daily pulse 

> Integral water meter and excess 

filling alarm 

Dose & Fill has all the features of the “Midi-Fill” 

Digital plus automatic inhibitor dosing during initial 

fill and top-up. No separate dosing pot required 

Tel: 01442 823 123 Email: enquiries@arrowvalves.co.uk 

www.arrowvalves.co.uk 

The Water Regulations Solution Specialist 

Natural ventilation with enhanced thermal efficiency 

Passivent, the natural ventilation specialist, has improved the 

performance of its Aircool® ventilators. As a result of recent 

product improvements, thermal performance has increased by 

22%, giving specifiers greater flexibility to meet the energy efficiency 

demands of a building. Achieving U-values as low as 0.86W/m2K, the 

ventilator offers excellent performance when closed. 

The range of controllable insulated ventilators has been designed for use 

in external facades, including all forms of wall construction, curtain 

walling and window profiles. The ventilator includes integral electrically 

actuated, modulating dampers which control the air intake and extract. 

Being low voltage, the dampers are energy efficient and they are also 

virtually silent in operation. The Aircool’s thermally broken frame design 

minimises the risk of condensation. Weather protection and security are 

provided by the external weather louvre, even when the internal 

insulated louvre is open. The ventilators can also be supplied in modular 

form for maximum flexibility; acoustic and thermal options are also available. 

“The thermal upgrade makes Aircool one of the best in its class. It’s the ideal partner for 

BREEAM projects,” said Passivent’s Design Manager James Hammick. “With wall sleeves and 

external weather louvres provided as standard, it’s also straightforward to contractors to 

install,” he continued. 

The ventilator can be used across a range of markets including education and commercial. 

As well as being suitable for daytime cooling, it can also be used for night cooling to reduce 

the risk of overheating. Being fully automatic, there is no risk of the Aircool overcooling. 

Passivent offers a comprehensive technical design service including assistance with product 

selection, system design and early stage thermal modelling. 

For more information, contact 01732 850 770, email projects@passivent.com or visit the 

website. 

www.passivent.com/aircool 



White is the new grey 

Dunham-Bush fan convectors 

change standard colour from 

grey to white In response to 

popular demand, from 

January 1, 2018, the standard 

colour finish for the best 

selling Dunham-Bush Series 

ASM, CM, UH, Ocelot and 

Finvector ranges of fan 

convectors will be white (RAL 

9010 semi-matt). 

This finish will replace the 

current grey (BS 10 1 03), 

which will still be available as 

one of the company’s preferred colours. Grilles, back plates and 

similar accessories will continue to be supplied in black (BS 00 E 

53) finish. 

To fully meet the demands of contemporary design, in addition to 

the standard and preferred colour ranges, Dunham-Bush fan 

convectors will be available in any BS or RAL colours to give 

customers the widest possible choice (prices available on 

application). 

Dunham-Bush has over a hundred years experience of delivering 

reliable, efficient and well-designed heating and cooling emitters, 

offering specifiers a single source for a comprehensive range of 

technically advanced products. 

www.dunham-bush.co.uk 

New additions to Rinnai range 

Rinnai have added to its range of Energysaver gas fired space heaters 

which are designed specifically for use in schools, community 

centres, libraries, conservatories, churches, and other large indoor 

spaces. 

The recent additions 

to the range are the 

Rinnai Energysaver 

559FT and a new 

streamlined look to 

the popular 

Energysaver 309FT. 

The 559FT has an 

input of 6.4kW and 

output of 5.2kW. The 

streamlined unit 

measures 554mm x 

750mm x 250mm. 

The Rinnai 

Energysaver 309FT 

has an input of 3.4kW and output of 2.92kW. Also available is the 

Energysaver 1004T with its impressive input of 11.6kW and outputs 

10.23kW. 

Rinnai Energysaver units are very easy to install as they do not need 

expensive and extensive ductwork, nor do they involve the necessity 

to run domestic heating circuits for radiators or pipework to boilers. 

This drastically cuts down on cost and time at the point of 

installation. 

www.rinnaiuk.com 

Clifton College upgrades heating system with Remeha boilers 

Clifton College in Clifton, Bristol, has improved the efficiency and 

reliability of its heating system with the installation of three Quinta 

Pro 90 boilers on a cascade system in its East Wing boiler room. 

For the last 40 years, the East Wing Building – one of 50 at the Grade II listed 

independent school – had relied on an old cast iron sectional boiler for its 

heating. As part of good practice, the College Estates Bursar, Paul Williams, was 

keen to replace it ahead of the start of the new academic year. 

Paul’s main considerations were to provide more efficient and reliable heating 

throughout the site. The refurbishment was required to take place within the 

fixed timeframe of the summer holidays to minimise disruption to the College. 

Consultant Steve Carroll at CODES specified three Quinta Pro 90 boilers on a Remeha cascade system. These market-leading condensing 

boilers deliver high gross seasonal efficiencies of 95% for greater than average energy savings combined with ultra-low NOx emissions that 

qualify for maximum BREEAM points. 

“I always specify Remeha due to the quality and reliability of the products and the service,” commented Steve. 

The design was put out to tender and won by Bristol-based contractors Cook & Harris Ltd. 

Archie Jefferies of Cook & Harris was pleased with the specification. 

“We use Remeha boilers for most projects, so we’re familiar with them,” he said. “They are reliable, effective products that quite simply do 

everything they need to do.” 

Removing the old boilers was the first challenge due to the small dimensions of the plantroom and restricted access, as Archie explained. 

“The plantroom is located in the basement of the East Wing,” he said. “It’s a tiny space so lifting the large old boiler up and out through a 

three-foot door wasn’t easy! The Quinta Pros are much lighter and a lot more compact, making them far easier to handle and position.” 

Installing multiple condensing boilers in a cascade arrangement optimises boiler efficiency, performance and lifecycle while enabling easier 

servicing and maintenance. This configuration also increases the turndown ratio of the fully modulating boilers so that they can match the 

fluctuating load more accurately. All of which reduces energy waste for greater energy savings. 

Remeha’s comprehensive prefabricated cascade system was specified for use on this project. 

www.remeha.co.uk 

10 


Connected Light delivers improved illumination and energy savings 

for Frampton Cotterell Primary School 

Acomprehensive lighting upgrade initiative at the South Gloucestershire school was completed in just seven days over the summer 

2017 holiday period. 

The desire to improve overall standards of illumination and reduce energy 

consumption has long underpinned the growing number of lighting system 

upgrades taking place at UK schools, colleges and universities. Increasingly, given the 

advent of highly sophisticated and user-friendly control systems, enhanced 

adjustment of lighting conditions and output can be added to the mix. 

All of these elements came into play when Frampton Cotterell Church of England 

Primary School in South Gloucestershire decided to undertake a site-wide lighting 

upgrade earlier this year. The project covered multiple areas, from classrooms to 

general meeting spaces, and reflected the overwhelming feeling that “the lighting in 

the premises was in a very poor condition,” recalls school business manager Mandy 

Turner. “It had become increasingly difficult to procure replacement parts, and we 

were also aware of the energy savings we could make by converting to LED 

technology.” 

Having established that South Gloucestershire Council would be able to part-fund the upgrade, Ms Turner and her team initiated a tender 

process. The contract went to Connected Light – through whom it actually had a personal connection thanks to Connected Light director Matt 

Holway being an alumnus of the school, and now having his own child as a pupil there. 

Not surprisingly, the emphasis throughout the project was on ensuring minimum disruption to the normal running of the school, so all work 

was carried out in just seven days over the summer 2017 holidays. Drawing on LED lighting from across the current Connected Light portfolio, 

the new fixtures and fittings replaced ageing fluorescent lighting which had been the subject of failures and which was also yielding a very poor 

standard of illumination. 

To ensure easy access to staff and support personnel to the control of the systems, simple controllers were integrated into a number of key 

areas, including the toilets, storerooms and cupboard areas. Personnel were given an overview of the new lighting and its capabilities, as and 

when requested. 

www.connectedlight.co.uk 

Surface 

temperature 

limited to 43 o C 

eliminates 

accidental 

scalding 

LST RADIATORS 

System 

LST Radiators 

Keep warm and safe 

Dunham-Bush LST radiators are designed to deliver efficient, 

cost effective heat anywhere safety is of paramount importance. 

They are the trusted choice for hospitals, nursing homes, 

nurseries, playschools, retirement homes and public buildings. 

• Fully meet NHS Guidelines and comply with BS EN442 

• Extensive range of outputs and sizes to suit every application 

• Choice of panel or low water content energy efficient fin pipe elements 

• Quick fit - 1st and 2nd fix delivery options 

• Bespoke wall to wall fitted systems available 

• Compatible with all makes of TRV and LSV 

• Lockable access panels and pencil proof grilles 

• Optional finishes in BS or RAL colours 

To learn more about Dunham-Bush 

heat emitters contact us today 

E-mail: info@dunham-bush.co.uk 

www.dunham-bush.co.uk 

WELCOME TO THE COMFORT ZONE 



System thinking is hot! 

Rinnai UK is 

spearheading a 

new concept 

for economic 

and efficient 

hot water 

delivery that 

brings together 

all the 

components of 

a system in one 

handy, bespoke 

designed pack 

for any kind of 

business, large 

or small. 

“System thinking is what is going to give us the edge as we head into 

a future where fuel prices are going to need to be managed with 

pin-point precision,” said Rinnai UK Associate Director Chris Goggin. 

“System thinking has led Rinnai to the point where it can offer a 

service to design and deliver a complete hot water system in one 

easy-to-install, fully specified and energy efficient ‘pack’ delivered 

direct to site - meeting all the demands of the client in one seamless 

operation. 

“Why would busy installers and end users want to waste their time 

planning and then assembling all the parts of a jigsaw when Rinnai’s 

water heating experts can specify, design and deliver the total 

solution?” 


Thinking fast with Kingspan Kooltherm 

A new special education and training college dedicated to the 

future of the UK’s rail industry, The National College for High Speed 

Rail, is the latest project to benefit from the outstanding thermal 

performance of the Kingspan Kooltherm K110 Soffit Board. 

The facility is as energy efficient as possible and, in line with 

funding guidance from BIS and the Skills Funding Agency, a 

BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ has been targeted for the new 

development. A fabric first approach was adopted and several 

Kingspan Kooltherm products were specified across the site. 

The main entrance features a cantilevered upper floor, and to 

insulate this, Kingspan Kooltherm K110 Soffit Board was installed. 

The product is a premium performance insulation board 

comprising an advanced fibre-free rigid thermoset phenolic 

insulation core, with a thermal conductivity of 0.018 W/m·K across 

all board thicknesses. It also offers excellent fire protection. 

www.kingspaninsulation.co.uk 

LED system delivers significant savings 

When the North Cheshire Jewish Primary School in Cheadle 

decided to upgrade its lighting system, it turned to Vickers - 

Manchester’s leading supplier of bespoke energy saving lighting 

and lighting systems. The subsequent installation of a new LED 

system not only transformed the school’s key learning areas into 

bright and vibrant environments, it helped achieve substantial 

energy savings too. 

Vickers designed and developed a bespoke solution; in addition to 

panels, downlights, IP54 round bulkheads and the company’s own 

Graphene lamps by Symsis - one of the first Graphene lamps 

available in the UK - a series of battens, IP65 anti-corrosives by 

Hilclare were specified. Emergency exit signs and bulkheads, and 

external IP66 bulkheads by Eaton, were also included. 

In total, 434 LED 

lamps and 

luminaires were 

installed by 

Vickers; 

providing a 

lifespan of 

around 30,000 

to 50,000 

hours, and all 

work was 

completed on 

time and within 

budget. 

www.vickers-energy.co.uk 

Vortice expands its commercial fan offering 

Burton upon Trent 

based ventilation 

specialist, Vortice, 

has expanded its 

commercial fan 

offering in the UK in 

response to 

customer demand. 

The commercial 

collection includes 

extract fans 

incorporating 

constant pressure 

control, heat 

recovery units with counter crossflow plate heat exchangers and 

thermal wheel. 

These additions to the range extend the flexibility that Vortice can 

offer to projects like offices, schools, care homes and shopping 

centres. 

Sales Manager Paul Gunner said: “Vortice has traditionally offered a 

select range of commercial products to the UK market, although the 

company has utilised a much broader offering throughout mainland 

Europe and Latin America. Over the last twelve months we have seen 

increased demand in the UK for more complex applications and have 

therefore extended the range we offer here.” 

As most commercial applications require a bespoke response, 

customers are recommended to discuss their project directly with the 

Vortice technical department who can help and guide them as to the 

most appropriate solutions. 

www.vortice.ltd.uk 

12 


Product News 

High demand in Glasgow 

Faced with the challenge of sub-dividing a multi-purpose school hall 

at the new Clyde campus, Style was required to address potential 

health and safety risks associated with manoeuvring moveable wall 

panels that would need to be over 7m high and weighing in excess 

of half a metric tonne. 

Style demonstrated their commitment to the Construction (Design & 

Management) Regulations 2015 and recommended combining a 

DORMA Variflex 100 SE moveable wall, which can be safely 

assembled on site, with the new DORMA programmable I-track. 

Removing 90° corners, a key point of impact with such tall panels, 

the I-track consists of switches and curves which uses the kinetic 

energy from the panel itself to assist in moving it into and out of its 

parking pocket. 

In addition to the curved track the Variflex system was specified with 

semi-automatic seals, reducing effort and speeding up space 

reconfiguration whilst maximising acoustic integrity. 

www.style-partitions.co.uk 

Safe & sound 

The Key Safe Company, the market leader of mechanical security 

access products, is revolutionising the way in which people can 

access schools and education facilities safely and securely. 

Its leading Supra C500 KeySafe can hold up to five keys and is 

regularly used by caretakers 

and maintenance staff to gain 

access to a facility. The Supra 

C500 is a locked metal box, 

fitted to the exterior of a 

property. It allows caretakers 

to gain access to a property 

without needing to 

permanently carry the keys or 

rely on a key holder, giving 

staff flexibility and security of 

knowing their keys will be 

stored safely. 

The Supra C500 is the UK's 

only mechanical key safe that 

is police accredited through 

the Secured by Design 

initiative due to achieving the 

LPS1175: Issue 6, security 

rating 1, and also has an 

accredited certification from 

the Loss Prevention 

Certification Board (LPCB). 

www.keysafe.co.uk 

Rinnai offer the complete package 

Rinnai is now offering a 

complete package in a 

combined heating and hot 

water system for all 

commercial and domestic 

applications. With three sizes 

of boiler – 50kW, 75kW and 

100kW – in its range of HE 

continuous flow gas water 

heaters, Rinnai offers a onestop-shop 

to installers. 

Lots of installations utilising 

Rinnai’s proven, energy 

efficient continuous flow 

water heaters use multiple 

units. Now installers can 

very easily manifold two or 

three Rinnai Infinity 

continuous flow water 

heaters with, for example, 

two boilers via a common flue and on the same cascade rig. 

Their ‘system thinking’ approach has led Rinnai to offer a service 

to design and deliver a complete heating and hot water system in 

one easy to install, fully specified and energy efficient ‘pack’ 

delivered direct to site, meeting all the demands of the client in 

one seamless operation. 


Advanced protection for LSO Discovery 

project 

LSO St Luke’s, 

home of the 

world-renowned 

London 

Symphony 

Orchestra’s 

community and 

education 

programme, LSO 

Discovery, is now 

protected by 

industry-leading 

fire panels from 

Advanced. 

The upgrade of 

the fire system was undertaken by the team at Sussex-based Crays 

Fire, who selected the latest Advanced MxPro 5 panel due to its 

versatility, reliability and upgradeability. 

MxPro is the fire industry’s leading multi-protocol fire solution, offering 

customers a choice of two panel ranges, four detector protocols, and 

a completely open installer network that enjoys free training and 

support. MxPro panels can be used in single loop, single panel format 

or easily configured into multi-loop, high speed, 200 panel networks 

covering huge areas and thousands of field devices. 

MxPro 5 is Advanced’s highest performance analogue panel. It is EN54 

2, 4 & 13 approved and is backward compatible with MxPro 4, offering 

long-term peace of mind for MxPro customers. 

www.advancedco.com 


Modular Buildings 

Learning environments: Why timber 

buildings make an excellent choice 

As schools face mounting pressure to increase places, the search for simple, cost-effective additional learning capacity, while 

maintaining standards, continues. 

Usually, solutions must also address 

the need to provide diverse, dynamic 

spaces that inspire and play their own 

role in the learning journey. 

Budgets 

As well as upholding standards, a good 

outcome for many schools also means 

spending wisely; with cost such an important 

factor, timber buildings are becoming the goto 

option. Timber-framed construction offers a 

budget and time-friendly alternative to 

traditional extensions. 

Securing funding for a project can prove the 

difference between a new classroom project 

going ahead or not. Luckily, with timber, 

schools may be eligible for funding by ensuring 

a certain level of energy-efficiency; we enjoy 

being able to support schools in their bid to 

secure additional support for these builds. 

Architecturally beautiful 

There is growing evidence to suggest that 

diverse learning spaces are beneficial to a 

child’s education. This can mean escaping a 

traditional classroom environment for a more 

contemporary space: precisely what timber 

builds provide. 

Timber buildings deliver architecturally 

pleasing, practical solutions by acting as 

flexible spaces for teaching, outdoor/indoor 

pursuits such as soft play, gardening clubs and 

physical education. By using connecting or bifold 

doors to open out an entire side of the 

building, a new style of ‘open use’ room is a 

firm favourite. This utilises canvas awnings to 

allow for indoor/outdoor use, whatever the 

weather. 

Increasingly popular, this way of expanding a 

school’s capacity can be completely bespoke. 

A good timber construction partner will be 

able to deliver all the finishing touches; soft 

close and protected door hinges, specialist 

easy clean flooring solutions, fitted kitchen 

and toilet facilities and more. Also, timber 

buildings quite literally spring up, causing less 

on-site disruption; from design to the 

handover of keys, timber’s construction 

timescale is comparatively short. 

Sustainable & comfortable 

Being a 100% renewable building material that 

naturally stores carbon dioxide from the 

atmosphere, timber makes all projects built 

with it an immediately more environmentally 

conscious option. Breathable and naturallyinsulating, 

timber maintains a more stable 

temperature than concrete or brick. Capable of 

being fitted out with insulation and heating, 

pupils and staff can avoid discomfort during 

hot summer days, whilst also saving on 

excessive heating (and nonrenewable energy 

use) during frosty winters. 

With various other environmentally friendly 

finishing touches that can be made, the ecofriendliness 

of timber is not restricted to its 

properties as a material. Because The Stable 

Company can deliver all aspects of a build, 

from concepts and planning to interior fit-out, 

it is easy to factor in ‘green’ features. These are 

numerous, and can include living roofs, air 

source heat pumps and intelligent lighting that 

adjusts according to the amount of natural 

light. 

Keelman’s Way School – Timber in practice 

Keelman’s Way School is a special school that 

provides Early Years, Primary and Secondary 

Education for 125 pupils with severe and 

complex learning difficulties. 

We worked with Keelman’s Way on a building 

which met the range of complex needs 

presented by the students, using considered 

design, well-chosen materials 

and a wealth of special 

touches to 

ensure the build performed in terms of the 

sensory and practical experience. 

‘The Hide’, as the building was named, is a 

single-storey timber construct measuring 

138m², designed to complement existing 

amenity space practically and aesthetically. 

The finished building contains a kitchen, two 

fully-equipped changing rooms for the 

disability football team and a generous 

teaching space. 

We established the build with special 

consideration of the landscape and 

surrounding property. Positioned away from 

flood risk areas and on the edge of the sports 

playing fields, we twinned the build to the 

school’s most popularly used outdoor learning 

space to maximise the sensory-focused 

adaptability of the build. 

“The Hide is a valuable and exciting new asset 

for our pupils and soon, the wider community. 

We are thrilled with the finished product.” 

Paula Selby, Headteacher at Keelman’s 

Way School 

www.thestablecompany.com 

14 


Kingspan TEK offers speedy fit 

Off-site construction has facilitated the quick erection of an Early 

Years Centre for Surrey Square Primary School, an Ofsted 

‘Outstanding’ school. The building envelope was successfully 

completed in just over two weeks, with the help of the Kingspan 

TEK Building System of structural insulated panels (SIPs). 

420m 2 of the Kingspan TEK Building System in 142mm thickness 

were specified for the walls and roof of the new centre, fixed to 

the glulam frame on the walls and roof, providing a secure 

building envelope that was then sealed with a breather membrane 

to make it watertight. Following this, the rooflights were installed 

down the centre of the roof and the Kingspan TEK panels clad 

with western red cedar shingles creating a visually striking 

aesthetic. 

With their high-performance insulation core, SIPs achieve U- 

values of 0.20 W/m 2 .K or better. 

www.kingspantek.co.uk 

Final modules for free school 

Offsite construction specialist The McAvoy Group has craned the 

final modules into position on site at the new Concordia Academy 

in Romford for a new £8.2m building to accommodate 630 

primary school children. The structure for the 2972m2 free school 

was manufactured offsite by McAvoy, using the latest modular 

technology to reduce the build programme, minimise disruption, 

and improve quality. 

The building was craned into position as 67 steel-framed building 

modules in just 12 days, on the site of a former nurses’ home in 

Romford. A 300-tonne crane was used for the modules which are 

up to 16.5m long and weigh up to 17 tonnes. 

Funded by the DfE via the Education and Skills Funding Agency, 

and designed by Blue Sky Architects, the new academy will create 

an exemplar learning environment for local children, and muchneeded 

primary school places. 

www.mcavoygroup.com 

Caledonian’s SMART construction solution 

Caledonian’s SMART construction solution is being chosen by a growing number of 

architects and educational establishments because it allows the majority of the build to 

be completed off-site. 

Designed and built to an exacting specification, 90% + of your project is done in our factory 

controlled environment, unaffected by the weather, and subject to strict quality, cost and 

programme controls. This applies to new classrooms, communal areas, and other facilities. 

Either a whole school or the development of an existing one, our solution is designed to 

stand alone or fit seamlessly sympathetically alongside existing buildings, with a variety of 

finish options. 

The Caledonian volumetric off-site solution provides clear benefits when compared to on-site traditional methods of construction: 

• Safer - expansion projects can be completed within the school holiday window, with a lack of impact on the functioning of the educational 

facility itself, local roads infrastructure and the neighbouring community. 

• More sustainable- off-site construction generates significantly less waste and enables better waste management. 

• Reduced working at height – a direct improvement on health & safety. 

• Environmentally more superior to using traditional materials, (which have a high % of materials that are spoiled, stolen, lost – needing to be 

replaced). 

• Programme – off-site construction removes variables such as labour availability and weather, resulting in more predictable programmes, on 

time and to schedule (only 63 per cent of traditional site-based construction projects are delivered on time and only 49 per cent delivered to 

budget). 

• Cost – predictable and repeatable processes result in accurate cost forecasts and delivery within budget 

• Performance in use – Improved quality control and construction tolerances improves Ongoing building efficiency and reduces future 

maintenance. 

In partnership with HLM Architects, Caledonian is an approved supplier on the £50m Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) Framework 

working with HLM to design and build for schools, academies, and other educational facilities. The Framework, which falls under the second 

wave of PSBP (Priority School Building Programme), went launched in August 2017 for a period of up to 4 years. 

Working either as Principal Contractor/Lead Designer or as a specialist Subcontractor, we have the capability to deliver projects from conception 

through to handover from the single largest offsite manufacturing facility in the UK. 

To find out more about the full range of education building programmes from Caledonian, 

call: 01636 821645 or visit the website. 

www.caledonianmodular.com 


Editor’s Article 

School report hails off-site construction 

A new report points the way to off-site building and longer term leases - as solutions to current capacity and quality issues 

within the school’s estate - and Redmoor School is a prime example of the new way forward. 

Anew report from The Centre for 

Economics and Business Research 

(Cebr) has assessed the school 

funding landscape and the pressing need for 

new school buildings. Their report 

(published November, 2017) investigated 

projected demographics, plans for school 

capital works, and current/anticipated 

funding policy. Its findings and 

recommendations make interesting reading 

for school finance and estate managers. 

Their findings include: 

• Pupil attendance at schools is forecast to 

grow by approximately 10% between 2017 

and 2026. 

• There is an urgent need for a shift in 

funding policy – current funding will result 

in a shortfall of adequate educational 

spaces. 

• The majority of today’s school estate is 

ageing, with 60% of school buildings built 

before 1976. 

• There is a need for new construction 

methods – to improve speed and capital 

cost. 

• There is an equally pressing need to reduce 

running or lifecycle costs. 

The report concludes: 

• Modern methods of construction, 

specifically off-site manufacture and 

modular design will help to alleviate 

logistical, budgetary and cost pressures 

relative to traditional building techniques. 

• Off-site construction can lower capital cost; 

speed up construction; lower running costs; 

deliver better educational environments 

and outcomes. 

• There is a strong economic case for lease 

funding; the report found that they deliver 

clear value for money, particularly where 

the buildings have low lifecycle costs. 

The report was commissioned by Net Zero 

Buildings who produce Schoolhaus®, which 

is referenced as an exemplar solution. Cebr 

have published a raft of recommendations, 

which include: 

1. Schoolhaus® costs approximately 10% less 

to build when compared to traditional 

builds, with no compromise to quality, 

quite the opposite - but even more 

significantly, Schoolhaus® costs 136% less 

to run. If all schools in England had the 

energy and O&M properties of 

Schoolhaus®, there would be an annual 

saving of £2.6bn. 

2. With 60% of current school buildings 

having been built before 1976, 

Schoolhaus® represents a truly unique 

solution that uses modern technology to 

solve a growing societal problem. 

Schoolhaus® is the name given to the zero 

carbon designed building, designed and built 

by Net Zero Buildings (NZB). Also referred to 

as Intelligent Buildings, Schoolhaus® projects 

are net zero carbon, multi award-winning, A+ 

EPC rated, permanent buildings for schools 

with a 60 year design life. The energy and 

lifecycle performance of the buildings are 

exceptional, due to their innovative design 

and integrated technology. 

The Schoolhaus® design was used at 

Redmoor Academy, a secondary academy in 

Hinckley, Leicestershire. The goal of the 

project was to address an oversubscribed 

secondary academy which needed to expand 

its capacity. The academy turned to 

Schoolhaus® for their ultra-efficient SIP 

design and energy savings generated from 

the solar PV roof. A two-storey Schoolhaus® 

building now houses the maths department, 

16 


usiness studies, CEIAG programme and 

enterprise initiatives – across eight brand 

new classrooms. 

Schoolhaus® has been specifically developed 

to deliver outstanding value, speed in 

construction, radically efficient buildings, and 

superior educational spaces. Depending on 

size, a Schoolhaus® can be installed in three 

to five days onsite, which means this brand 

new 655m2 building could start and finish 

construction during school holidays. Offsite 

design has more improved efficiencies 

and bettered processes than are 

possible with onsite 

build, which 

are 

driving down costs - which were passed on 

to Redmoor Academy in the form of lower 

prices and a more competitive offering. 

The labour was employed directly rather than 

sub-contracted which facilitated better 

control and further lowered costs. Waste was 

almost completely eliminated and wood 

offcuts were used as business fuel to provide 

space heating in Net Zero Buildings’ offsite 

factory. 

Deliveries were minimised because products 

arrived in bulk, rather than individually to 

disparate sites. Materials were received 

without packaging which saved time and 

waste. Excellent value is represented in the 

pricing of Schoolhaus® and the speed of its 

delivery. There is also a hugely positive 

impact of the methodology on 

both climate change 

and the 

operating costs (and thereby the lifecycle 

costs) of the building – Schoolhaus® scores 

‘off the scale’ on both fronts and also provides 

students with a superior learning 

environment and teachers with a valuable 

educational tool. 

The Operations Manager and 15 students 

from Redmoor Academy came to see their 

new facility being built up-close in the 

factory. The pupils were given an engaging 

presentation which explained what net zero 

buildings are, advice on how to get into 

careers in construction, what climate change 

is and how net zero buildings can help to 

slow it. Along with the presentation, the 

students got the chance to see a mini- 

Schoolhaus® being built in front of their very 

eyes. As well as getting a chance to see their 

future building up close, they each signed a 

length of cedar which was fitted into their 

future school as they watched on. 

“For them to be able to see the different 

personnel working behind the scenes to 

deliver their new building is a powerful 

learning tool,” said Jo Cox, Operations 

Manager, Redmoor Academy. “Hopefully the 

students on this trip have been inspired by 

the innumerable career opportunities that are 

involved in designing and constructing this 

innovative building.” 

Net Zero Buildings delivered a net zero SIP 

building with an A+ EPC (-10), an annual solar 

PV yield of 32,680 kWh and avoided energy 

costs per year of £5,293, making this building 

for its size one of the most energy efficient 

school buildings in the country. 

www.netzerobuildings.co.uk 

17

Interior Design & Fit Out 

On the buses with Heckmondwike’s Pure Care carpet 

Lots of schools have their own library but not many have one in a former bus! 

Thanks to Heckmondwike, one of UK’s leading carpet manufacturers, St Andrew’s School, Oswaldtwistle in 

Lancashire, now has hard-wearing, aesthetically pleasing Pure Care carpet in its new library bus, creating an 

environment perfect for pupils to enjoy reading. 

The static library bus at St Andrew’s School, was gifted to the school by a parent who works for 

Moving People Ltd and refurbished by B&G Sears Ltd of Blackburn. The school wanted to create 

an interesting library bus interior that was hard-wearing, bright and easy to maintain. 

Heckmondwike’s Pure Care offered the durability and visual appeal needed for this project. 

Available in 8 colours, Pure Care also offers high stain resistance and still feels comfortable, 

essential with young children. St Andrew’s was also keen to reflect its school colours in its 

choice of flooring for the library bus, so Pure Care in ‘Sapphire’ was the perfect choice. 

Flooring design plays an important role in creating stimulating learning environments, which is 

why it is so important to find a hard-wearing carpet that can withstand the demanding school 

environment and retain its appearance for many years. 

Pure Care and Total Care are Heckmondwike’s tufted carpet solutions; they are ideally suited to educational establishments, whether in 

classrooms, corridors or school office areas. Available in different pile weights, both types of carpet feature a fully impervious backing, are highly 

resistant to staining and cleaning products. They are also manufactured to meet all relevant flammability tests and offer antistatic properties. 

Another popular carpet for schools is Supacord. Available in a choice of 42 colours and renowned for being able to withstand heavy wear and 

tear, it retains its aesthetics and performance properties for many years. Schools are also choosing colourful carpet for their entrance areas too 

and some schools also opt to have their school branding, colours and/or ethos integrated within their entrance area carpet to add impact and 

reinforce the values of the school, as soon as pupils or visitors walk through the door. 

Sample cards are available on request by calling 01924 413637 or by using Heckmondwike’s online sample form. 

www.heckmondwike-fb.co.uk 

Furniture for active learning – creating maker-centred 

learning spaces 

The maker movement is drastically altering the environment and culture of our classrooms. By understanding this evolution, we can 

ensure learning spaces are best prepared to embrace this new active way of learning, ensuring teachers and students can make the most 

of their time together. 

The maker culture features a connected and personal focus on active learning and doing, nurturing the skills required in the workforce of the future. 

Teachers are becoming mentors, and distributed teaching and learning is occurring throughout a fluid, interdisciplinary process. 

A makerspace is by nature one that facilitates and encourages this dynamic learning method. The conventional idea of a classroom, linear and 

constrained, must be erased. By thinking outside the traditional 4 walls of the classroom, we can promote uninhibited exploration, support 

movement, interaction and collaboration – not just between teachers and students, but between the students themselves. Here are a few ideas and 

common themes observed across the maker movement: 

Flexible storage: Maker-centred learning involves prototyping, crafting and iterative processes. Design-based approaches to problem-solving require 

access to supplies and a safe place to store work-in-progress. Storage within the 

space should be mobile, vary in size, and provide easy on-demand access. 

Worksurfaces: Students need a platform where they can do both individual and group 

work. A worksurface isn’t just for a notepad or laptop anymore, it must accommodate 

other learning tools that enhance and reinforce agency (the capacity to make choices 

and decisions). 

Seating: Adaptive seating easily allows students and teachers to move throughout a 

space, giving them the freedom to reconfigure layouts. Additionally, movement not 

only facilitates new ways of learning, it is beneficial to human health. An active 

learning space discourages a sedentary culture, whilst improving concentration, 

retention, productivity and wellbeing for students and teachers. 

Writable worksurfaces: Surfaces for expressing and sharing ideas – marker boards, 

magnetic or stickable walls allow students and teachers to generate and synthesise 

ideas as they work through the creative design thinking process. 

www.kieurope.com 

18 


ELLEN 

FINPROTECT 

PLUS + 

7 DIFFERENT 

SETS 

7 DIFFERENT 

COLOURS 

FP5090 

WHITE 

FP90 

BLACK 

FP120120 

• PREVENTS CHILDREN GETTING FINGERS TRAPPED IN DOORS 

FP9090 

FP90120 

• STRONG DESIGN TESTED TO 1 MILLION DOOR CYCLES 

• FIVE YEAR GUARANTEE 

• STANDARD LENGTHS OF 1980MM & 2500MM 

• CONCEALED SCREW FIXING AND FAST TO FIT 

• WHITE, BLACK & 5 COLOURS AVAILABLE 

• ONE PRODUCT SUITS BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL DOORS 

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EDUCATION RANGE 

A range of made-to-order 

doorsets for schools, 

colleges, academies and 

universities. 

“..Our aim is to make 

the entire process as 

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possible..” 

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Download the brochure from: 

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UCL chooses Hunter Douglas linear ceiling 

Leading architectural products company 

Hunter Douglas has manufactured and 

supplied 250m2 of solid timber Linear 

Open 89 module in white oak for part of 

the ceiling and vertical bulkheads of the 

Lower Refectory and adjacent areas at 

Wilkins Terrace, part of University 

College London (UCL). 

Hunter Douglas’s premium ceiling was 

specified by Burwell Deakins Architects 

for its aesthetics and acoustic properties. 

Using solid wood linear systems enables 

contractors and architects to take 

advantage of a fully made-to-measure 

solution, creating any number of innovative designs because the 

panel and gap size is customisable. 

In addition, no cutting or adjustments are required at site, which 

significantly reduces installation time and cost. 

Hunter Douglas’ open linear wood ceilings are an all-natural and 

sustainable option that comes with FSC/PEFC certification. It has fire 

classification B-s2,d0 according to EN 13501-1, and achieves acoustic 

performance up to alpha w 0.70 without optional rock wool. 

www.hunterdouglas.co.uk 

Altro transforms uni renovation 

A package of Altro 

resins products have 

been used to 

transform a 30 year 

old building into the 

University of the 

West of England 

(UWE) Future Space. 

The building is used 

by R&D project 

teams to nurture 

start-up companies working in robotics and smart-controlled 

machinery and vehicles - so as half the building continued to be 

occupied by the staff of the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, noise, dust, 

vibration and odours had to be kept to a minimum. 

A combination of Altro resins products was used to create solutions 

for areas such as the circulation hub, main access route from the 

entrance to the hub, laboratories, workshops, and corridors. 

Products were selected for their UV stability and slip-resistance, 

flexibility, and durability. Large new sky-lights flooded the central 

circulation hub with natural daylight, so colour stability was 

enhanced by including clear UV-stable seal coats. 

www.altro.co.uk 

Polyflor doubles up 

Flooring products from 

two of Polyflor’s most 

popular luxury vinyl 

tile and safety flooring 

ranges were chosen to 

help refurbish the 

school hall, 

classrooms, and 

corridors at St Wilfrid’s 

Church of England 

Academy in Blackburn. 

Over 1400m² of Expona Design PUR luxury vinyl tiles and Polysafe 

Modena PUR safety flooring was installed at the mixed secondary 

school and sixth form. The grey wood effect Silvered Driftwood 

shade from the Expona Design collection covered 600m² in the 

school’s busy dining hall. 

Polysafe Modena safety flooring in the Galena and Jetstone shades 

were installed to provide sustainable wet slip resistance in the 

academy’s classrooms and corridors. 21 rolls (840m²) of flooring 

was used with light grey Galena as the main floor colour and the 

darker Jetstone to create contrasting borders. 

www.polyflor.com 

Novus provides first class refurbishment 

Novus Property Solutions 

has redecorated five 

buildings at one of 

Scotland’s largest and most 

prestigious independent 

schools, in a project worth 

£25,000. 

The redecoration project 

took just six weeks to 

complete in order to fit in 

with the school’s summer 

holiday break, limiting 

disruption to pupils and staff. Between four and six Novus operatives 

from its Bathgate office worked simultaneously around the school 

campus in order to meet the agreed deadline. The wide-ranging 

works included repainting the exterior of one building and the interior 

of four buildings on campus, as well as refreshing the road and 

playground markings throughout the school grounds. 

The school’s Playfair building, with its distinctive neo-classical façade, 

was designed by the eminent Scottish architect William Henry Playfair, 

and the team ensured that all works carried out were sensitive to the 

original structure. 

www.novussolutions.co.uk 

Gradus step up to the mark 

GXT11 aluminium stair edgings from Gradus’s market-leading XT range have been installed to all core 

staircases at the University of Derby’s Nunnery Court halls of residence. They protect the step edge and 

surrounding floorcoverings from damage, subsequently reducing on-going maintenance costs at the facility. 

The XT range features an insert that extends around the leading edge of the profile to ensure that foot 

contact is always made with the slip-resistant element, helping to reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls. To 

further increase safety on the stairs, Xtra-grip inserts were chosen which offer increased surface roughness to 

reduce the risk of slip particularly where the stair edgings may become wet. The inserts harmonise with the 

interior design but also provide the correct LRV (Light Reflectance Value) to highlight the step edges. 

All of the XT stair edgings are available to download as BIM objects. 

www.gradus.com 

20 


FURNITURE FOR 

ACTIVE LEARNING 

Introducing Ruckus. Shaking up learning spaces. 

Move with the chair, move within the chair. Ruckus lets you decide. A chair unlike any other in the world, 

created especially for maker-centred & project based learning. Experience Ruckus at our London HQ. 

New Fetter Place, 8-10 New Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1AZ 

www.kieurope.com/ruckus | education@kieurope.com | 020 7405 7082 



Enhance school interiors with Gradus 

Last year, the UK government set aside £216 million to rebuild and refurbish existing schools in England to ensure they are fit for 

purpose*. This provides a huge opportunity for contractors as the interior fit-out and refurbishment market for education grows. 

Lynette Bowden, Group Product Manager for Gradus, looks at what contractors may want to consider during the specification 

stage to help create a safe environment for students. 

Interiors often get damaged in busy 

schools, particularly throughout the winter 

months. So, designing to help future-proof 

a building should be a key consideration. 

Contractors should assess the existing 

damage to the building and look at where 

most wear and tear occurs. They should then 

specify solutions that can help to protect 

these areas and prevent further damage. 

Flooring first 

When specifying for a refurb development in 

schools, contractors should consider barrier 

matting systems to help prevent dirt and 

moisture from being tracked into and around a 

building. Education facilities experience heavy 

foot traffic on daily basis and installing an 

effective entrance matting system can reduce 

the amount of dirt and moisture tracked into a 

building by up to 90 percent. This helps 

minimise the risk of slip and fall accidents 

caused by wet or soiled flooring. It also helps 

to prolong the lifecycle of surrounding 

floorcoverings and improve interior aesthetics. 

What’s more, high performance secondary 

barrier carpets, such as Gradus’ Boulevard 

range, can also be used in areas at increased 

risk of soiling and heavy wear, such as 

corridors and staircases. This is a particularly 

cost-effective way to reduce long-term 

cleaning and maintenance costs. 

When considering carpet, flooring contractors 

should take note of the existing carpet 

supplied, its location in the building, and its 

current condition. This will help distinguish the 

type of carpet needed to replace it. For 

example, if the carpet is worn due to heavy 

traffic, you will need to specify a durable, 

heavy-duty solution. Whereas if you need to 

create zones to separate areas such as staff 

rooms, consider a patterned design. Gradus 

Lafite Connect and Streetwise Design are 

versatile carpet tiles that can be installed 

randomly to create feature areas. 

If carpet is in an area that is particularly worn, 

especially at a transition point between two 

floor finishes, floor trims can also be used to 

form a neat, clean finish, protecting against 

fraying carpet and reducing the risk of trip 

hazards. 

Finally, stair edgings can be used to improve 

stair safety and protect against damage to 

surrounding floorcoverings. Gradus developed 

and patented its leading stair edging solution, 

XT, which has been designed with an extended 

insert that wraps around the front edge of the 

step. This increases the contact surface at the 

most important part of the step, and further 

reduces the risk of slips. 

It’s important to think about standards when 

working for refurb projects and make sure you 

are supplying fit-for-purpose products. When 

deciding on stair edgings, a difference in Light 

Reflectance Values (LRVs) of 30 points or more 

between the stair edging and floor covering is 

recommended, in line with guidelines set out 

in BS 8300+A1:2010. This helps when it comes 

to defining the edge of the stair and identifying 

individual treads, providing safe and inclusive 

access for all building users. 

British building legislation is regularly updated 

to ensure the industry is performing to the 

highest standard. When entering a refurb 

project, you should be aware of the initial 

standards that were met during the first 

installation and check if these have changed. 

Don’t simply replace products like-for-like as 

they may no longer be compliant. When 

specifying floorcoverings, the key regulations 

to meet include guidelines in Approved 

Documents M (ADM) and K (ADK) of The 

Building Regulations 2010, BS 

8300:2009+A1:2010 and BS 9266:2013 in line 

with the Equality Act 2010. 

Surface protection 

Wall protection can be specified to improve 

appearances, increase the lifecycle of wall 

coverings and reduce cleaning and 

maintenance costs. 

For existing school buildings, a retrospective fit 

approach will conceal much of any existing 

damage and prevent against any further 

damage. It also creates a clean and easy to 

maintain finish, which the school building and 

its occupants will benefit from for many years 

to come. 

When a wall protection system isn’t in place, 

heavy traffic areas, such as corridors and 

canteens, quickly begin to show signs of 

scuffing and wear, due to pupils knocking 

against the walls with chairs and bags. This, in 

turn, means the need for cleaning and 

maintenance increases, and therefore so does 

expenditure. Easy to fit products such as wall 

cladding, corner guards and wall strips are 

ideal for these type of locations as they can be 

retro-fitted to conceal damage. 

For further information and advice on any 

Gradus products, please contact Gradus 

Technical Support on 01625 428922 or visit 

the website. 

www.gradus.com 

22

Kingspan contributes to ‘Excellent’ rating 

The Kingspan Kooltherm FM Complete Pipe Insulation System and 

Kingspan Kooltherm FM Duct Insulation have been installed as part 

of Coventry University’s flagship £59m Science and Health 

Building, contributing towards the building’s BREEAM ’Excellent’ 

rating and delivering a high level of fire resistance performance 

through the use 

of intumescent 

lined Kingspan 

Kooltherm 

FireSleeves. 

14,000 linear 

metres of 

Kingspan 

Kooltherm FM 

Pipe Insulation 

(as part of the 

Kingspan 

Kooltherm FM 

Complete Pipe 

Insulation 

System) and 5000m2 of circular and rectangular Kingspan 

Kooltherm FM Duct Insulation were specified. As part of the 

Kingspan Kooltherm FM Complete Pipe Insulation System, 

Kingspan Kooltherm FireSleeves were installed around the 

pipework at penetrations, as well as Kingspan Kooltherm Insulated 

Pipe Support Inserts. 

Kingspan Kooltherm FM Pipe and Duct Insulation have been 

assigned a highest possible 2008 Green Guide Summary Rating of 

A+ by the BRE. 

www.kingspaninsulation.co.uk 

Call us 

01296 481220 

P 

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Learn more 

osmouk.com 

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Govaplast ® - the leading brand of recycled plastic 

The perfect choice for school grounds: 

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Tough and durable, these 

benches are both vandal 

and graffiti resistant. 

Roma - 

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Easy to clean, they can be 

left outdoors throughout 

the winter. 

Please visit our website 

www.goplastic.co.uk to see 

the full range of benches 

and seating, fencing, 

planters and litter bins. 

For a brochure/further information, Tel: 01920 469 926 or email: info@goplastic.co.uk 


Product News 

GEZE UK gets top marks for education 

When it comes to the supply of door and window systems for 

education, GEZE UK gets top marks, as a new Project Portfolio 

outlines. The brochure illustrates how various automatic and manual 

door control solutions and window technology systems have been 

applied in a range of 

schools, colleges, and 

universities to meet 

specific purposes and 

the needs of staff and 

students. 

It highlights how 

GEZE’s extensive 

product range is 

backed up by indepth 

technical 

support to ensure the 

right solution is 

identified for various 

developments, their 

environments, and 

projected uses. The 

Project Portfolio Education features a series of case studies, including 

where accessibility was key in its involvement with Treloar School 

and College in Hampshire, which caters for students with physical 

disabilities and learning difficulties. 

A copy of the Education Project Portfolio is available by emailing 

info.uk@geze.com or from the download section of the company’s 

website. 

www.geze.co.uk 

McAvoy wins BIM award 

The McAvoy Group has 

been presented with the 

award for Best Virtual 

Reality BIM at the third 

annual RICS BIM4SME 

Awards, for its 

commitment to adopting 

and implementing 

Building Information 

Modelling (BIM) in its 

offsite construction 

projects. The award was 

for the design and delivery 

of a two-storey primary 

school building for 

children with special 

educational needs at West 

Hill School for Surrey 

County Council. 

Ten firms that utilise BIM technology to create smarter and more 

creative buildings were recognised at this major industry event, 

held at the iconic HMS Belfast in London. 

The RICS has identified BIM as the critical development affecting 

organisations of every size across the construction industry, and it 

continues to promote the importance of BIM adoption and those 

companies at the forefront in the UK. The BIM4SME awards 

showcase excellence, promote best practice, and the tremendous 

opportunities that BIM presents for the whole of construction. 


Don’t cut corners! 

The Window Company 

(Contracts) Ltd has always 

prided itself on the fact 

that it never cuts corners 

on site, and its latest 

recruit Tom Millar has 

demonstrated that in 

probably the best way 

possible. 

At Eldon School in Enfield 

where timber windows 

were being replaced with 

PVC-U, Tom painstakingly 

hand-finished the corners 

on every single new 

arched head window 

being fitted so that they 

exactly matched the 

timber originals. Spending around 45 minutes on every window, 

Tom demonstrated a level of craftsmanship rarely seen on 

mainstream public sector projects. 

At Eldon School, The Window Company (Contracts) replaced 68 

windows with PVC-U alternatives fabricated in Profile 22 by 

Emplas Window Systems. This was just one of the eight school 

contracts which The Window Company completed this year, as it 

has continued to broaden its reputation from social housing into 

the education sector. 

www.thewinco.co.uk 

Eurocell raises the bar with lower threshold 

As a part of its drive to continuously improve its systems, Eurocell - 

the UK’s leading manufacturer, distributor and recycler of PVC-U 

window, door, conservatory and roofline products – has introduced 

a new PVC-U low threshold for its Eurologik 70mm chamfered and 

ovolo doors, that offers users an alternative to aluminium, will cut 

energy bills, and 

improve 

comfort. 

This threshold is 

superior to 

aluminium 

equivalents 

because it 

reduces cold 

bridging and is 

more thermally 

efficient. Using 

the PVC-U low 

threshold 

improves the U- 

value by roughly 

0.1 W/m2k depending on the style and specification of the door. Put 

another way, using the PVC-U threshold can boost the energy rating 

of a door by up to one energy band, over the aluminium equivalent. 

This threshold has another advantage too; Eurocell has designed it 

so that it can be removed and replaced without removing the whole 

door if damaged. 

www.eurocell.co.uk 

24 


The perfect window for schools & student accommodation 

30 years ago, most windows were timber and maintenance was a major bug-bear. There 

was almost no requirement for thermal or sound insulation, glass was single glazed, 

little concern existed for the environment, or security - and the concept of ‘whole life 

costs’ and thus, ‘best value’, was just a dream in the minds of the more enlightened. 

Since then, the introduction of PVC and aluminium windows to reduce maintenance, worked 

well for a while, but then, these new window materials began to struggle under the inexorable 

rise in performance requirements under Building Regulations, ecological considerations, global 

warming, architectural preferences and clients wishing to exceed these performance standards, 

even further. 

Thinking outside the box and using synergy, a ‘smarter’ solution was developed by some 

industry innovators, exploring better uses of current materials. 

Timber - despite its susceptibility to water, has many benefits of sustainability, inherent 

insulation and acoustic properties, ease of workability, and a desirable appearance – and when 

engineered into laminated profiles, becomes extremely strong and dimensionally stable 

(Example: Structural “H” beams). 

Aluminium - on the other hand, is a very poor insulator, and lacks the appeal of a warm internal 

finish, but makes an excellent water barrier. 

So, combining the two and making an engineered timber window, with all those added benefits, 

but protecting it from water, by fitting an outer shield of aluminium – and the “Composite” 

Window was born – which has since become a legendary revolution in the industry, outpacing 

the growth of all other window types, in recent years. This applies equally to progressive 

designers of Schools and Student Accommodation, since long life, minimum maintenance, low 

U values, high acoustic attenuation and competitive pricing are all essential. 

One of these leading pioneers, in the mid 1980’s, was the Uniform Group, in Italy, who 

manufacture exclusively, the uni_one® Composite Window System, which, today, sells all around the World. 

Introduced into UK, in 2014, through Uniform Architectural Ltd (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uniform) the many benefits of the uni_one® 

system, even over other composite windows, have been welcomed and appreciated by clients, architects and contractors, alike. 

www.uniform-arch.co.uk 

A bright 

idea 

for grey school days... 

SYSTEM 655/16 

• Ideal for 

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refurbishmen 

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• bright and colour l choic 

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Multiwall Polycarbonate Glazing Systems 

for school canopies, 

walkways and play area 

as 

Rockwell Sheet Sales Ltd 

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Kitchens & Washrooms 

‘World-class’ facilities enable health & 

wellbeing 

People in the 

West Midlands 

wanting to 

improve their 

health and 

fitness can 

benefit from 

new, state-ofthe-art 

facilities 

that deliver 

optimum 

accessibility in 

all aspects. 

University of 

Birmingham’s 

£55m sports 

club, Sport & 

Fitness, has, from the outset, been developed as a world-class venue 

for everyone, including students, staff, alumni, and the community, 

from elite athletes to people with disabilities, injuries or other 

specific access requirements. 

“Substantial effort has been made to ensure all facilities are as 

accessible as possible,” explained Simon Walton Project Manager for 

Interserve Construction, builder of University of Birmingham Sport & 

Fitness. “The swimming pool has a hoist and moveable steps, the 

gym includes 25 pieces of inclusive equipment, even the toilet 

facilities should accommodate most people’s requirements!” 

www.clos-o-mat.com 

Vectair contribute for Children in Need 

Vectaire Ltd had 

pleasure (and fun) 

in contributing a 

dozen EL1003 for 

a DIY SOS Children 

in Need project in 

Swansea. The 

challenge was to 

build (in eleven 

days) a new 

Centre and 

supported housing 

for young people 

in care and leaving 

care. Vectaire was 

delighted to 

donate both the 

required Elegance 

1003 fans and 

their expertise with on the spot advice as to the best ways and 

means of installation. EL1003 is a quiet-running, extremely 

economical, PCDB listed, 3 speed centrifugal fan designed for 

installation in walls, ceilings or windows in all domestic wet 

rooms. It has an energy saving EC motor which runs 

continuously at a pre-selectable choice of 2 lower speeds - 

depending on whether it is installed in bathroom or kitchen - and 

allows the user to boost fan capacity when required. 

www.vectaire.co.uk 

University of Kent focusses on accessibility 

The University of Kent is 

maintaining a strong 

focus on accessibility 

within its residential 

student accommodation, 

with the completion of 

four newly refurbished 

fully accessible bathrooms 

in its Kemsdale Court and 

Stock Court buildings. 

Products from Pressalit 

Care offer not just the 

ability to easily raise and 

lower the height of 

individual bathroom 

elements, but the wallmounted 

Plus track 

system also allows for 

horizontal movement to suit individual needs. 

The ergonomic design of the Matrix Curve hand basin has a 

shallow bowl which allows for wheelchair access underneath, 

whilst allowing easy reach of the tap. 

Also chosen for the new bathrooms is the Pressalit Care shower 

seat, with independently height adjustable back- and armrests; it 

is electrically height adjustable by 500mm with a wired hand 

control. With foldable seat and arm rests, space in the bathrooms 

is maximised whilst maintaining space for manoeuvrability. 

www.pressalit.com 

Best on energy for exterior and interior 

applications 

Rinnai’s Infinity range of A-rated 

continuous flow gas fired water heaters 

which includes models specifically 

designed for domestic/light commercial 

use guarantees the highest efficiencies 

and lowest running costs at consistent 

temperatures 24/7 compared with any 

method of hot water delivery. 

The Rinnai Infinity range of continuous 

flow – sometimes referred to as 

‘tankless’ - water heating units are being 

specified more and more often for 

domestic properties, cafes, pubs, 

restaurants, offices, shops, hairdressers, 

commercial units, caravan parks and leisure facilities as installers and 

end users become aware of their energy saving benefits. 

The reason for the increase in uptake is that continuous flow heater 

systems are proven to be more energy efficient than storage systems 

and as such are increasingly becoming the experts’ preferred method of 

hot water provision. The word is out that the Rinnai units easily cater for 

projects that need high volumes of water at intermittent times of day 

delivered at accurate temperatures to ensure user comfort and safety. 

They are also easy to operate and simple to install and maintain. 

Rinnai's Infinity multipoint 16i water heater, for example, eliminates the 

problem of sudden changes in water temperature, resulting in cold 

showers or scalding hot baths – the water temperature you set is the 

water temperature you get. 


26 


In my opinion 

The challenge of the conversion 

The Conservative Government has an ambitious programme to open over 600 new Free Schools by 2020 and has established 

the LocatED property company, to secure the sites across the UK. Nicolas Maari, Head of Architecture at Pellings, thinks that 

whilst this is laudable, the quality of children’s education should not be compromised in the rush to provide for increased 

pupil numbers. 

The dilemma is that in built up 

urban areas there aren’t the 

large tracts of land available 

to build the schools that tick all the 

quality criteria. Multi Academy 

School Trusts are therefore 

sometimes being requested to 

use existing buildings – old 

office blocks, factories or 

hospitals, perhaps. 

The main issue with converting 

these buildings to schools is on space 

standards and the clustering of year 

groups, which wherever possible shouldn’t 

be compromised for the sake of the children’s 

education/teaching. 

So, for example, if there is a school with a 

two-form entry in one year then ideally one 

wants to group those year groups as well as 

ancillary accommodation. This often proves 

difficult within a building conversion. 

Having previously worked on projects where 

schools were accommodated in multi-storey 

office buildings, issues we came up against 

were fitting the ancillary space to service the 

year groups. In that instance we had to 

consider splitting the year groups as well as 

staggering playtimes and lunches. This in 

turn would affect the operation of the school. 

In addition, it is difficult to achieve the same 

efficiencies in spaces and operation that are 

possible in building a new school from 

scratch. Adapting buildings previously used 

as residential accommodation may result in 

schools being single aspect with corridors 

taking up space on external walls. This 

typically would be mitigated when 

developing a new build school in order to 

obtain efficiencies in the useable area. 

of the age of the 

building and its 

low ceilings. The 

minimum 

requirement 

should be at 

least 2.7 

metres clear 

to get the 

light to the 

back of the 

classroom and 

meet Building 

Bulletin regulations. 

This was not possible in 

this building, and as such this building which 

was earmarked for conversion to a school 

needed to be demolished, which significantly 

affected the programme of delivering this free 

school. This requirement is typically very 

difficult to achieve when converting a 

residential building into a school. This, 

however, is more achievable in office building 

conversions. 

Nicolas Maari 

Dealing with buildings with totally different 

types of structure can be a challenge. What if 

there are structural columns in the middle of 

classrooms? To remove these to achieve clear 

classroom/studio and hall spaces could be 

very costly to alter, and perhaps life cycle 

costs can be just as expensive as building a 

new school. 

Managing buildings and spaces are more 

complex with existing buildings. In an urban 

area where the only option is to have a rooftop 

playground then there is the logistics 

issue of staggering play-time and supervising 

it. 

Controversially, The Education Skills Funding 

Authority has moved away from the hard and 

fast ethos of providing play spaces on-site. It 

used to be very strict but is now more flexible 

in a priority classification, and where 

unavoidable is prepared to allow provision of 

off-site play areas. 

Many educationalists would argue that in 

terms of well-being it is important for city 

children to have external play space. 

However, because of the number of pupil 

places required this seems to no longer be a 

priority, although arguably this is to the 

detriment of the wellbeing of the pupils. 

Flexibility is now the name of the game and 

politically the pressure is on for the existing 

administration to deliver the school places. In 

the days when Local Education Authorities 

were setting minimum standards it was clear 

what had to be delivered. With academies it is 

less clear and it is down to the professional 

advisors to work with the academy providers 

to recognise the importance of those 

standards. 

www.pellings.co.uk 

The previous use of the building needs to be 

considered from the outset before embarking 

on converting it to a school building. We have 

found, for example, that invariably, the 

acoustics don’t meet the needs of the school 

use, and with constrained window sizes the 

natural lighting in an existing building is often 

not adequate for school use. 

This was the case with an old manor building 

which I was previously involved in. The floor 

to ceiling heights were constrained because 


Case Study 

Streets ahead, & weeks ahead! 

Raymond Millar, Construction Director at The McAvoy Group, looks at the design and offsite construction of a new state-of-theart 

academy in Slough and how it was delivered weeks ahead of programme. 

Lynch Hill Enterprise Academy is a 

£20m education campus and one of 

the largest ever modular schools to be 

built in the UK. It demonstrates a number of 

new innovations which contributed to its 

early completion – an unprecedented 17 

weeks ahead of programme, giving this new 

free school the benefit of even earlier 

occupation 

Lynch Hill is a 1,140-place academy 

specialising in science, technology, 

engineering and maths, and was built by 

principal contractor and offsite specialist The 

McAvoy Group, for the Learning Alliance 

Academy Trust. In recognition of its success, 

the project has already been shortlisted for 

five industry awards. 

Designed by Blue Sky Architects and funded 

by the Education and Skills Funding Agency 

(ESFA), this three-storey 8,750m 2 building is 

an exemplar offsite education project which 

has a design inspired by the world-leading 

Harvard Business School. 

The design for Lynch Hill was initially 

developed for another site and then had to be 

adapted for a second and final brownfield 

site. The build programme had to 

accommodate extensive demolition works, 

asbestos removal, the adjacent construction 

of a new sports stadium, restricted access, 

and the school’s first intake of pupils who 

were located in temporary buildings also on 

the site. 

Construction had to be phased to 

allow early handover of the 

sports hall and changing 

facilities for use by 

the school. 

The design brief set out a number of 

important criteria, all within the ESFA’s 

available budget, which the project 

successfully met. 

• It had to facilitate the exchange of 

knowledge with business and encourage a 

sense of enterprise among students, 

thereby helping to bridge the skills gap for 

local companies. 

• It had to create an environment for 

collaborative learning and mentoring, and 

provide good visibility as part of the school’s 

anti-bullying strategy. 

• It had to have excellent acoustic 

performance. 

• Community access was required to the 

sports facilities. 

The school is designed around four large 

multi-functional central spaces which help to 

maximise natural light and encourage 

interaction and collaborative learning. The 

use of inspirational messages and bold 

colours throughout reflects the academy’s 

ethos of enterprise, aspiration and 

achievement. 

The building features an impressive fullheight 

glazed entrance, 

a striking timber 

colonnade 

with 

brise soleil sunshading, and a palette of 

materials which includes render and timbereffect 

rainscreen cladding to harmonise the 

scheme in its semi-rural location. 

Offsite construction was used for the 

curriculum wing. Facilities include science 

laboratories, ICT suite, SEN hub, studios for 

music, drama and art, areas for informal 

learning, sixth form study and social space, 

kitchen and café. An enterprise exchange 

runs through the core of the building on two 

levels to facilitate collaboration with local 

businesses. 

There is a four-court sports hall and a main 

hall with retractable seating which were 

constructed using a fast-track steel system. 

The sports hall can be separated and secured 

from the rest of the school out of hours. 

Externally there is a landscaped area and 

social space which form a large arrival plaza 

at the front of the school. This creates a sense 

of place and identity for the academy and 

encourages informal gatherings with its 

planting and seating. There are outdoor 

teaching spaces, a soft landscaped study 

garden, social area, multi-use games areas, 

and a sports pitch. 

FACT FILE: 

Client: Learning Alliance 

Academy Trust/Education and 

Skills Funding Agency 

Facility: 1,140-place academy 

Building size: 8,750m2 

Location: Slough 

Value: £20m 

Weeks on site: 53 weeks 

Partners: Blue Sky Architects 

28

Lynch Hill demonstrates a number of 

technical advancements in offsite 

construction. Larger 15.6m long modules and 

a new lifting system were specially 

engineered by McAvoy for the project which 

reduced time, transport and installation costs 

and further improved construction efficiency. 

Some of the steel-framed modules were preclad 

offsite in the factory to further reduce 

time on site. 

The use of a McAvoy offsite solution also 

removed the need for storage of large 

volumes of building materials on the site, 

helping to address the issue of restricted 

access. 

Around 65% of the building’s construction 

was completed offsite. 146 modules were 

installed with doors, windows, ironmongery, 

internal walls, plumbing, electrics and joinery 

already in place. This approach reduced the 

build programme to just 53 weeks. 

The build programme was around six months 

less compared to site-based construction for 

a school of this scale. 

BIM was invaluable for the Lynch Hill project, 

allowing design plans to be reviewed for 

clash detection of services with the modular 

structure. This helped to ensure seamless 

construction and removed the need for 

additional site works. 

BIM allows processes to be streamlined to 

help deliver better decision making at the 

earliest possible stages in the life of a project. 

Going forward, the increased use of BIM will 

deliver shorter design periods, giving schools 

the benefit of reduced risk and even earlier 

occupation. It also allows all of the necessary 

technical data for the building assets to be 

embedded into models. This enables the 

estates team to have all information needed 

for maintenance available in the best possible 

way. 

Since the inception of Lynch Hill, McAvoy 

now offers virtual reality technology which is 

particularly valuable for education schemes 

to enhance stakeholder collaboration. 

Teaching staff can now be ‘put into’ a virtual 

building and have the opportunity to ‘walk 

around’ the building at the earliest design 

stage to feel and experience its functionality, 

assess usability, circulation, layouts and 

adjacencies. This is hugely beneficial for 

stakeholder engagement, further streamlining 

the design process, and facilitating more 

informed decision making. 

Time and cost overruns on both public and 

private sector building projects are still 

unacceptably high. By contrast - and as 

Lynch Hill successfully demonstrates - offsite 

construction can significantly reduce risk 

with much greater assurance of delivery on 

time and on budget. 

Lynch Hill takes the use of offsite for 

secondary schools to a new level and has 

exceeded this academy’s expectations for 

speed, quality and design. 


29

Exterior Building 

webermineral TF render marked 10/10 

Designed to overcome delays caused by wet weather conditions and 

low winter temperatures during application, high performance 

webermineral TF render has been specified for an extension to the 

Poyntzpass Primary School in Newry, Northern Ireland. 

Concerns that the weather would delay render application were 

overcome with the technical attributes of webermineral TF, a throughcoloured, 

textured decorative finish designed for use with multi-coat 

render systems including Weber’s thermally efficient External Wall 

Insulation. This cementitious render can be applied at temperatures as 

low as 1°C. 

webermineral TF has rapid drying benefits that prevent wash-off in one 

hour, making it ideal for wet conditions and winter working, and 

achieves a durable, resilient and weather resistant finish for all year 

round protection, whilst weber PR310 primer reduces suction and 

ensures that the subsequent finish will have a minimum life of 10 years. 

www.netweber.co.uk 

Tough test for Redland Cambrian 

Lochwinnoch Primary School has provided a showcase for 

Cambrian Slate, showing how an early 1900s traditional building 

can still retain its original appearance using a modern slate 

substitute, along with traditional slate detailing. The challenge was 

to retain the school’s original appearance, complete with complex 

details such as hips, valleys, skews, the interface between flat roofs 

and around skylights, without costing as much as slate. 

Renfrewshire Council and Redland developed the answer to the 

challenge: Cambrian Slate, precision engineered and 

manufactured using 60% recycled Welsh slate. 

A full Redland SpecMaster roof specification was carried out, 

examining every 

aspect of the roof in 

detail, including 

raking valley details, 

sprocketed eaves, 

changes of pitch, 

detailing of top edge 

and side abutments, 

flat to pitch lead, 

ventilation at eaves 

and ridge, and 

underlay details. One 

area of difficulty, 

where the flat and pitched roof meet, included a lead secret gutter 

– something that was completed with immaculate results. 

www.redland.co.uk 

Student population grows at Durrington 

Durrington 

High School in 

Worthing has 

successfully 

completed 

work on its 

expansion, 

using the 

Kingspan TEK 

Cladding Panel. 

The Structural 

Insulated Panel 

(SIP) was specified to help target a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating and 

to achieve excellent fabric performance against a tight project 

deadline. 

The primary extension, situated at the heart of the school, 

includes laboratories, a performing arts studio, general teaching 

accommodation, and ancillary accommodation. 600m2 of the 

Kingspan TEK Cladding Panel in a 142mm thickness was installed 

on the steel frame by delivery partners, Thomas Carter, in the 

school’s three-storey ‘Courtyard’ expansion. 

The highly insulated core of the 142mm Kingspan TEK Cladding 

Panel can allow them to achieve U-values of 0.20 W/m2.K and 

better, whilst their OSB/3 facing and unique jointing system help 

to minimise unnecessary air loss. This can contribute toward the 

award of credits within the materials section of the BREEAM 

assessment. 

www.kingspantek.co.uk 

StudioGlide opens up new vistas 

Eurocell - the 

UK’s leading 

manufacturer, 

distributor 

and recycler 

of PVC-U 

window, 

door, 

conservatory 

and roofline 

products - is 

extending its 

range of bifold 

doors 

with the launch of StudioGlide, a breakthrough aluminium bi-fold 

system that promises minimal sightlines, maximum performance, 

and unlimited flexibility. 

StudioGlide is scaleable to frame heights of up to 2.5m and widths 

of up to 6.5m. High-specification energy efficient glass and a thermal 

break in the frame reduces heat loss, achieving U-values as low as 

1.6W/m2k for double glazing and 1.3 W/m2k for triple glazing. 

Despite the ‘glass wall’ appearance, StudioGlide comes with full 

PAS 24 accreditation and is glazed from the inside for increased 

security. Easily fabricated and quick to install, StudioGlide is built to 

last; both the bi-fold door profiles and the door furniture are 

guaranteed for ten years. 

www.eurocell.co.uk 

30 


POSIT 

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WITH A POSITIV VE 

ENVIRONMENT 

Call us now for our Education Case Study Portfolio 

www.nationwidewindows.co.uk 

Tel: 01788 224 

466 | Email: enquiries@nationwidewindows.co.uk 

Nationwide Windows Ltd 

| Nationwide House | 74-88 Somers Road | Rugby | Warwickshire | CV22 7DH

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