WORK has started to deliver state-of-the-art facilities as part of a new £60 million development for the King’s School – one of the largest independent day schools in the UK.
Pick Everard – the independent property, construction and infrastructure consultancy – is providing full design and engineering services for the 80-acre, Derby Fields development in Macclesfield, which is expected to be completed in May 2020.
The school’s current three sites will be united into one area, creating a new 16,000m2 academic building with 350 rooms, in addition to a new sports centre – which will include: a six lane, 25m swimming pool; a six-court sports hall and a dedicated indoor cricket centre. Externally, five new rugby pitches, one rounders field, two AstroTurf hockey pitches and six netball courts will be created.
Duncan Green, managing partner at Pick Everard said: “We are delighted to be working on such a major project for both the King’s School and Macclesfield as a town. We’ve been working with the school consolidating its estate onto a single site with brand new buildings so we’re pleased that work has now begun to realise this vision.”
Natalie Clemson, associate director said: “As well as including fantastic educational and sporting facilities, the new building will be highly energy efficient and sustainable with a BREEAM rating of ‘very good’. It will also score highly on environmental management, responsible construction, resource efficiency, low energy and water use with a reduced carbon footprint, as well as efficient heating and lighting systems and controls, among other sustainable features.”
The new development – the most ambitious project in the school’s 516-year history –will supplement, and sit adjacent to, the school’s existing Derby Fields campus.
The project has been funded by the school selling its existing two sites in Fence Avenue and Cumberland Street to housing developers, which will provide sustainable and affordable homes in the area along with retirement and assisted living options.
Natalie added: “The school selling its existing sites to fund the project has freed up valuable land in the town centre for housing, which in turn will address the town’s need for additional housing and provide significant economic growth.
“We also worked with the school to deliver a series of value engineering workshops, which contributed savings of up £6 million, as well as providing design solutions to maximise teaching space while meeting the client’s budget.”
The King’s School, which has 300 employees, provides education for more than 1,200 students from pre-school through to sixth form.
John Kennerley, chair of governors at King’s School said: “We are delighted to be able to launch our 2020 vision for King’s. It will deliver not just a fantastic campus for our pupils, but enable us to develop further community use of the school beyond the 27 organisations that already share our facilities.”
Headmaster Simon Hyde added: “We are extremely keen to ensure that our legacy is a positive one both for the school and Macclesfield in general. The development of a mix of sustainable housing close to the town centre will hopefully continue to bolster the attractiveness of Macclesfield as a place to live and support the many excellent new shops and businesses currently taking root.”
John Roberts, regional director at Vinci Construction UK Ltd, the project’s lead contractor, added: “We are proud to be delivering the new campus, which will provide the very best educational facilities available for the school, its pupils and for the wider community.”
Pick Everard employs more than 500 staff across its 11 UK offices, providing a range of project, cost and design consultancy services.