Rosslee were appointed by CRBE to construct a new build standalone classroom block providing 8 additional classrooms, due to the growth at Kingsway Park School, a mixed foundation high school, opened in September 2010 in Rochdale.
The construction process comprised of pad foundations with a large amount of reinforcement bar excavated & lowered into the sandy ground, concreted in with holding down bolts suspended in the bases and structural steel fixed onto this. The 2 story structural steel had a composite roof with a Bauder designed rubber membrane roof.
The ground and first floor were constructed using traditional concrete slab and the walls comprised of a lightweight SFS system that was filled with approx 300mm of insulation, a siniet fire rated board and 2 layers of plasterboard internally. Externally more insulation was fixed using a top hat system with “helping hand” brackets with a vertical rail system to which Trespa cladding routered out to mimic a laminate floor that was fixed to this; a total build-up of 540mm.
Aluminium windows and doors were fitted including 1hr fire rated windows to protect the nearby NHS building. Lightweight aluminium partitions were installed complete with deflection heads, walls were insulated & fitted with plasterboard layers which were taped and jointed rather than plastered, to speed up the process, then decorated. IPS systems were used in the toilets to hide any pipework. Carpet tiles and vinyl were fitted and suspended ceilings complete with LED Lights. The electricity supply, CCTV and security systems were connected from the existing school and integrated to work as one system.
A new breathable buildings heated system was installed which involved positioning louvered vents over the windows and a heating unit into the ceiling space. Air is pulled from outside the building into the unit, heated by traditional wet heating pipes supplied by gas boilers and dispersed into the building by a series of fans. The benefits of this system are no visible pipework, does not use wall space and eliminates risk of students touching hot pipework.
Project value: £1.2 million