It’s back to school for leading architectural metalwork manufacturer, Drawn Metal Group (DML), with a contract worth £555,000 at an Advanced Learning Centre (ALC) in Barnsley. The ALC, part of the Barnsley Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, will replace and combine Darfield Foulstone School of Creative Arts and Wombwell High, and is the third education deal for the Leeds-based company in the last few months, bringing the combined value to £1.4m. DML has also won business at Havelock Academy in Grimsby and Rotherham College of Arts and Technology. The company is providing 1000m2 of curtain walling; vents and glazed roof lights at the new ALC, which is one of 11 new establishments being built by Laing O’Rourke, who appointed DML. The final three buildings in the programme (phase three) are scheduled to be finished by September 2012. John Holden, project manager, DML, said: “We’re delighted to have secured this contract, which has led to us working on one of the largest education schemes in the country. “DML is fast becoming recognised for its expertise in the education sector, and to have won this contract against intense competition is very rewarding.” Councillor Linda Burgess, cabinet spokesperson for children, young people and families, said: “We are committed to providing students in Barnsley with the best possible educational facilities and the new state-of-the-art amenities equipped with the latest technology to deliver a first-class learning environment.” The £1billion Barnsley BSF programme is an investment in education by Barnsley Council, Building Schools for the Future Investments, and Barnsley Partnership for Learning, which is a joint venture between construction company Laing O’Rourke and specialist investor and operator John Laing.
