Construction has completed at Highcliffe School in Birstall, Leicester, one of the first schools to be built under the Department for Education’s modular primary school building framework, which is supporting delivery of its £4.4 billion Priority School Building Programme.
The £3.3 million project saw Spatial Initiative (Initiative) – the joint venture of Styles&Wood and Extraspace Solutions – completely rebuild the 13,200 sq ft primary block using 38 modular units. Initiative also delivered an internal fit-out, furniture and external works, including the installation of new interactive smartboards and modernised IT infrastructure.
Highcliffe was one of the first projects to be allocated under the school building framework, which is rebuilding and refurbishing school buildings across the UK deemed to be most in need of renovation. Design began in September 2017, with onsite construction commencing in April 2018.
Olivia Noonan, operations manager at Initiative, said: “This is a landmark project as one of the first school buildings in the UK to be built entirely using modern, innovative construction methods. It is great to see the success of the Priority School Building Programme so early on in its lifecycle, marking the first step in delivering the highest quality learning environments to children up and down the country.
“Modular construction is the ideal choice for school builds, reducing the amount of time spent on site to avoid interfering with term time activity. Our expertise in this area means we are equipped to deliver these projects efficiently with minimal risk, waste and disruption, allowing teachers and their pupils to access their new facilities as quickly as possible.”
Highcliffe School, said: “We’re incredibly excited to have moved into our new building after watching it take shape over the past six months. Our new state-of-the-art technology and modern classroom facilities will allow us to provide the best possible experience for our pupils for years to come.”
Spatial Initiative was formed to bring together Styles&Wood’s skills in pre-construction, fit-out and project delivery with Extraspace Solutions’ innovation in modern methods of construction.
Styles&Wood is part of Extentia Group, 11 specialist businesses offering services across the full lifecycle of real estate assets, from design, project management and delivery, to optimisation, FF&E solutions and facilities management.