14 June 2016
Portakabin Group Helps to Meet Demand for School Places with Completion of 6th Project for Barking and Dagenham
The Portakabin Group has completed its sixth project for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Council (LBBD) - a £5.3 million school building constructed using a Yorkon off-site solution.
The contract for LBBD via delivery partner Thames Partnership for Learning was the second phase of a primary school facility built by the Portakabin Group in 2013.
Barking and Dagenham has one of the fastest-growing school-age populations in the UK and this project has helped to address the increasing pressure on education provision in the area. It has been predicted that in the region of 8,000 new primary and secondary school places will need to be provided in the Borough over the next five years.
Designed by Surface to Air Architects, the latest scheme on the City Farm site has expanded the existing facility. Both buildings are now occupied by a free school operated by the multi-academy trust, Partnership Learning, and accommodate more than 500 primary, secondary and special needs children. It will then be converted into a five-form entry primary school.
Commenting on the project, Roger Leighton, Chief Executive of Partnership Learning, said, "We have been really impressed with the performance of the Portakabin Group on this project and the advancements in off-site technology. The quality of the finished buildings is great and the speed of construction delivered the project on time despite a tight timescale, to help us meet the urgent demand for places in Barking and Dagenham."
"The project represents good value and we believe it has delivered more teaching accommodation for our budget, which includes larger than average classroom sizes. Staff and pupils are really happy with their new facilities."
The Portakabin Group's seventh project for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is now under construction - a pioneering £44 million three-school campus which is the largest ever off-site contract in the education sector.
The Yorkon building solution was sufficiently flexible to allow both phases of the City Farm project to be used initially for secondary education provision, before being easily reconfigured to meet the needs of a primary school with five forms of entry.
The Portakabin Group's design and build contract included a full turn-key service, comprising design, planning, off-site building manufacture, ground works, fitting out, and provision of a multi-use games area, football pitch, and additional play areas. A multi-purpose hall was also constructed as part of the package and links the new building to the first phase.
A pre-installed Yorkon concrete floor minimised work on site and is providing enhanced acoustics and a high quality, robust finish for a demanding school environment. Externally, the scheme is finished in an abstract arrangement of colours from a palette of blue, anthracite grey, earthy gold and metal green giving it a strong identity and complementing the first phase.
Facilities in the new two-storey building include 16 classrooms, a library and ICT suite, two specialist teaching rooms, dining room, new school entrance and reception lobby, and a PE store room.
For further information about Yorkon off-site building solutions for primary and secondary education, call 0845 2000 123, email info@yorkon.co.uk or visit www.yorkon.co.uk.
Editor's Notes
1. The benefits of Yorkon school building solutions from the Portakabin Group include:
- Programme times reduced by up to 50 per cent for earlier occupation to help in the rapid expansion of schools, particularly when moving to two or more forms of entry
- Much less disruption to teaching during construction, which is critical when working on fully operational school sites
- Seamless, column-free façades that can be specified with or without cladding to complement or contrast with existing school buildings
- The facility to fit almost any building footprint, including those designed for site-based construction - reducing design time and resources.
2. Yorkon and the Portakabin Group are registered trademarks. Portakabin is a registered trademark which must only be used to refer to modular buildings that are known to have been manufactured by the Portakabin Group. Please note, Portakabin is not a generic term.
