Following the very successful Phase I Extension by H.A Marks in early 2012, H.A Marks Construction were again appointed by The Diocese of Barking and to fabricate a new, Phase II Volumetric School Extension at St. Josephs Primary school.
The conceptual design was developed by Living Architects and we worked closely with Living to further develop the design and create cost value opportunities to ensure the project was within budget. The finished design offered the best design, best innovation, value and approach to meet the clients’ strict program and budgetary requirements. The construction program was very tight with critical milestones and the most innovative solution was to design and build the project using off-site Volumetric/Modular Units.
This meant that the groundworks were started whilst simultaneously working off-site at the factory to construct the bespoke, individual steel framed modular/volumetric units. Fantastic program savings were achieved, estimated at 8 weeks on-site, meant that the project was much faster than traditional construction approach. This minimised the disruption to the school as the main installation occurred over the Easter break.
Another advantage was that the carbon footprint of the build process was substantially reduced as deliveries to site were drastically reduced. Fewer deliveries also meant less disruption, noise and traffic issues as the Volumetric Units were delivered and installed over the half term holiday.
Concrete, Screeded Composite floors were installed providing a robust and substantial floor mass. Exceptional through the wall U-Values were achieved with Insulated Render System and the front elevation nearing the original brick built school was clad in individual Brick Slips to compliment the visual effect. A highly collaborative approach with Living Architects and the clients' consultant team resulted in a very successful project, ahead of time and on-budget.
