Wrexham Council are reporting that building works on all three secondary schools that are undergoing refurbishment and construction works are progressing well.
At the Maelor School in Penley the foundations to the new building are complete and the structural steel frame is almost finished. The new entrance road, roundabout and lay-bys for school buses are also finished and a separate site entrance constructed for contractors is working well. A visit by the Health and Safety Executive has taken place and no concerns have been raised.
The project includes the construction of a new Sports Hall building to the rear of the school site which will provide enhanced sports facilities for the school and the local community.
Improvements at the school that have already taken place include refurbished toilets, new first floor windows, a new roof on the science block, replacement of front windows, replacement of kitchen extraction system and a new car park and health and safety work.
The design of the new building includes rainwater harvesting, airsource heat pumps and combined heat and power technology. To protect the building against unnecessary damage the elevations are made of brickwork to the lower panels and casings to all steel columns. Translucent panels are being used to all walls at high level to introduce as much natural light as possible into the building. Sun pipes are also being used to allow natural light into inner areas and wind catchers will be used to incorporate natural ventilation into the design.
An ecological survey undertaken by marches Ecology identified great crested newts on the site and a license had to be obtained from the Welsh Assembly before works could start. In order to ensure the safety of the newts’ an amphibian exclusion fence was put up to keep them from the site and a search of the building area was undertaken to ensure no newts are at any risk during the building work.
The total area of the site is 74.7 ha, it has a gross floor area of 1323 m2 and 745 m2 of teaching space. Areas of circulation such as corridors equal 138 m2 and 91.8 m2 of storage. It is estimated that 75% of the school grounds will be used by the local community and 85% of the new sports hall will benefit the community.
Paveaways are the building company who are undertaking the work and they should complete the contract in November 2010.
At Darland school in Rossett work is progressing well on the new science block and ICT rooms. The steelwork is complete and work has started on the first floor and the drainage.
The new block has been designed along ecological lines, involving natural heat storage and rainwater harvesting.
Adjacent to the building site the school’s Eco Group are currently working on a new ecology field site, where students from the school can engage in fieldwork as part of their science lessons.
The school has already benefited from a toilet refurbishment, woodwork repairs and painting, replacement of roofing, extension of the school boundary fencing and alterations to the SEN unit and relocation of the head’s room.
Works are being undertaken by Harry Fairclough Construction and are expected to be completed in January 2011.
Members of the schools eco group visited the site recently with Nick Bateman of Wrexham Council and site manager for Fairclough’s Peter Walthau. It is planned to have monthly visits throughout the construction period. Parents are also kept informed of the progress via a newsletter that the school produces.
The ecological survey at the school found evidence of otter activity in a ditch located near the site. Otters are naturally curious animals and they may enter the site area during the evenings. The site is a working area and may pose a hazard to the otters. To prevent this a fence has been put up which will be removed once all works are completed.
At Bryn Alyn in Gwersyllt the foundations for a two storey science suite and IT facility have been laid and the steelwork is progressing well.
The school has already benefitted from significant investment including a new link corridor, toilet refurbishment and flat roof repairs. The school has also had a significant canteen upgrade that has seen the area transformed into a light and airy place which boasts high tech digital screens that display menu options available. Read Construction are the builders undertaking the work and work is expected to be complete in the Autumn of 2010.
The ecological survey undertaken by Marches Ecology found no problems on the site.
Over £20 million will be invested into the three schools over the next twelve months.
Design works for the projects have been carried out by Wrexham Council’s Property Design and Facilities Department and the new buildings will comply with Welsh Assembly guidelines for energy efficiency and sustainability.
The projects will all conform to BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) which is the leading and most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings. It sets the standard for best practice in sustainable design and has become the industry standard used to describe a building’s environmental performance.
All three contractors have undertaken to reduce environmental impacts during the construction process and will be providing a list of any social or economically sustainable measures achieved during the works.
