New Secondary School Development
The project
Belfairs Academy is a new secondary school that accommodates 1300 students. In addition, the new facility provides specialisms in Catering and Motor Mechanics, as well as provision for Adult Education.
The challenge
Our designers were able to provide Civil and Structural designs to provide a state-of-the-art education building to benefit students and the local community.
The solution
We supported key design elements, including:
- Finite Element Analysis of concrete flat slabs
- Reinforcement detailing
- Gabion walls
- Long span steel roofs
- Movement joints
- Drainage network design
- Flood risk assessment
- Planning assistance
- Earthworks optimisation
- Temporary works design
The outcomes
Quality assurance
A combination of flat slab reinforced concrete and structural steelwork were used in order to provide an economic structural design resulting in optimum flexibility whilst remaining sympathetic to the architectural design and services distribution requirements
Optimum delivery
Working collaboratively with Skanska’s sub-contractors to provide cost effective solutions for a holistic design. Working in a tight site due to live school adjacent, meant temporary works had to be carefully designed to allow construction and school to continue running.
Collaborative BIM use
Due to a large amount of landscape cut, the latest BIM tools were used to optimise the use of that material on the site and keep spoil removal to a minimum.
Highest environmental standards
The design incorporated the use of lime mortar, and basalt brick ties in the cladding to reduce embodied carbon. Gabion walls were used instead of reinforced concrete retaining walls. Cement replacement was used in the piles.
Innovation
Single large diameter piles without caps were developed with Skanska Cementation to ensure fast cost effective construction. A specially design jig was used to ensure rebar tolerance was achieved to ensure seamless foundation/superstructure connection.
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