Off-site construction specialist, Yorkon, has been awarded a sub-contract package to provide a two-storey modular classroom building for principal contractor Thomas Vale Construction and Ninestiles School – a new high achieving academy in Birmingham.
This challenging project which is being completed by Thomas Vale has to be delivered in a tight timescale in order to meet funding requirements and will be built in a completely enclosed courtyard in the centre of the school. The architects and project managers are Ridge & Partners.
Yorkon’s sub-contract will involve the use of a large 350-tonne crane to lift the steel-framed modules over the existing school and into the courtyard. By working in partnership with the project team, this operation has been programmed for the half term holiday to minimise any disruption to teaching.
The overall scheme will accommodate six classrooms to help the school meet the increased demand for places and to replace an outdated facility.
Design features will include brick cladding to the ground floor with a contrasting white finish to the upper floor; windows, doors and aluminium cladding panels in anthracite grey; canopies above each set of entrance doors; a full height glazed stairwell, and a glazed link corridor to the main school building.
Commenting on Yorkon’s appointment for this part of the project, Martin Hier, Project Leader at Ridge & Partners, said, “The James Review into education capital funding highlighted the need for greater standardisation in the provision of school buildings. Using an off-site solution for this scheme helps us to respond to that and gives us a number of other important benefits. It allows us to speed up the construction process to meet the funding stream, and by moving as much of the work off site as possible, we can keep on-site contractors to a minimum, improving safety and reducing disruption to the school."
“We have also specified a concrete floor throughout the building, pre-installed off site, which will reduce sound transmission. We are very happy with Yorkon’s performance to date and their team’s collaborative approach during the design phase.”
Simon Ambler, Director of Yorkon said, “It would be very difficult to build this project conventionally because the building is located in the centre of a courtyard with very little access. The off-site approach, however, will be much less disruptive to the school, particularly as there is a major refurbishment programme to the other buildings on the site underway at the same time.”
Paul Burchell, Divisional Director at Thomas Vale Construction, said, “Our appointment of Yorkon as supply chain partner demonstrates our commitment to ensuring the best possible outcome of the scheme for the end users and stakeholders, in a tight and constrained location. We are confident that the overall scheme for Ninestiles School will provide young people and future generations with an innovative and impactful learning environment.”
With achievements well in excess of national standards, Ninestiles School now has academy status. It is a mixed comprehensive school catering for 1200 pupils with 60 students in the sixth form.
Yorkon has an extensive track record in the primary and secondary education sectors, having completed a wide variety of bespoke modular projects including self-contained teaching buildings, classroom extensions and complete schools, delivering all the advantages of off-site construction.
