Project Description
Delivering a new-build school for town expansion in Towcester.
The historic market town of Towcester in Northamptonshire has experienced significant growth in the last 30 years, most recently in the form of the Towcester South Sustainable Urban Extension (SUE), which delivered over 2,000 new homes to the south and west areas of the town.
As a result of the expansion, a new primary school – the Marie Weller – was required, as the existing primary schools could not accommodate the almost 900 additional primary-age children that would be generated by the development.
The plan for the new school, sited next to Towcester Racecourse, consisted of a two-storey modular construction, including a studio, multi-use hall, library, kitchen, specialist practical room, hygiene room, and sanitary and staff areas. The generous grounds within the development include two football pitches and a large playground area.
Supporting the education sector
Darwin Group were appointed as the main contractors for the school in Towcester, having delivered many successful construction projects for the education sector. Not only do the family-run Darwin Group have a wealth of experience gained from operating in the UK for more than 50 years, but their approach to management and design, and commitment to sustainability, has made them pioneers within the sector.
Eden Facades have previously worked with Darwin Group to deliver projects in the education sector, and we were pleased to be awarded this large-scale project in Northants as a result of our good relationship with them.
Product selection and installation
Our scope for the project was to install timber battens and the Eurobrick brick slip system, along with Cedral Click cladding panels.
Steve Mountford, Eden Facades Project Manager for the project at the school comments: “Cedral Click cladding provides an ideal low maintenance and non-combustible alternative to timber cladding, whilst having the same visual appeal of natural timber. The fibre cement, tongue and groove board uses a ‘Click Clip’ system, making installation very efficient.
“The lightweight nature of brick slip systems makes them perfect for new-build projects like this one at the school,” Steve continues, “compared with traditional brick work, which requires foundation work, brick slips have the advantage of being quick to install, saving clients time when schedules are tight.”
In addition to being cost efficient and straightforward to install, brick slip systems are low maintenance, needing very little in terms of aftercare. Once in place, brick slips are difficult to distinguish from traditional bricks.
Navigating pandemic restrictions
Once on site in June 2021, the installation of the brick slip system went according to plan, and we were able to work around challenges presented to us due to the ongoing disruption caused by Covid-19. Using two teams on site meant that the project schedule was not in any way affected by team members that needed to take time off to visit family abroad over the summer.
Steve explains, “It could have posed a problem, but we have a great team, and we knew that we would be able to be flexible and to find a way to support our team members, many of which hadn’t seen their families in almost two years.”
Now that the project has finished and the school is open, both Darwin Group and the school are very happy with the result.
To find out more about this project, or to discuss a future project with us, contact us on 01268 744199, or email office@edenfacades.co.uk