Barnes were appointed during the projects design stage to work with the incumbent team in designing a sports hall, a dance studio and changing block to complement their existing facilities. The multi-purpose sports hall was installed at 1st floor level with changing facilities and plant on the ground floor.

The building was constructed with a two-storey steel frame structure supported via deep pad foundations and with a precast concrete ground floor. The first floor construction was formed with composite steel/concrete deck construction. The external building envelope was formed with structurally insulated timber panel infill set between the steel frame and finished with a combination of a brickwork and rainscreen outer skin. The roof was formed using a Zinc standing seam finish with a glazed roof lantern detail. Barnes added value to the process throughout, engaging with the school and neighbouring Cambridge Library to ensure noise levels were consistently monitored. Furthermore, shared access to the site was maintained with the library throughout with a permanent logistics manager organising a daily delivery schedule to ensure disruption was minimised to both the school and the library.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILTY

The interaction of the school onto the site to use as a learning tool has been facilitated by the site manager and the contracts manager. It was impractical for the whole school to visit site, so representatives from the School Council, which amounted to two members from each year group, visited on a regular basis and toured the site with the Site Manager. For their school project on construction, we had given them lots of facts for them to include and use, i.e. the amount of steel being used in the frame in tonnes and the number of bolts used. Viewing windows were also added to the hoarding, so that all the pupils were able to look into the site and see the progress being made. The site team liaised with the school’s representative on a fortnightly basis.

“Thank you so much indeed for these wonderful facts, really most helpful. I will blow the children away with them over the next few days.”
Angus Gent, Design and Technology, Kings College School