April...

Work has been progressing quickly on-site and the shell of the new Sports Hall in now complete.  The defining feature of the metal roof and wall cladding has been completed, with the windows and curtain-walling currently being installed.  During the Easter holidays work will begin on the new courtyard and netball/tennis courts.

Looking towards the teaching wall in the first floor classrooms

Feature rooflight in the first floor classrooms

View inside the Sports Hall

Looking towards the main entrance from the first floor landing,

where a staircase is soon to arrive...

Christmas Wishes...

Welcome back!  It's been a while since our last update but as you can see work has progressed well in the meantime.  The contractor has been busy and, fortunately, before the winter weather set in the building has topped out and the floors and roof laid.  Work has also begun on the end elevation, where the standing seam roof will fold around the corner and continue down the wall in what is the defining architectural feature of the building, so all in all good progress has been made.

Thanks for checking back with us and on behalf of ADP, the whole design team and the contractor, we'd like to take this opportunity to wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

BREEAM

The design team and the contractor have been working together to provide a building that is sustainable: socially, economically and environmentally.  As a part of this, the new building will be assessed under BREEAM, which is an environmental assessment method used for new buildings.  Related to this, please find below some information that relates to the new building.

BREEAM Man 9 – Publication of Building Information

Project Description - The new building will provide the School with a combined Sports Hall and Teaching Block, and will create an enclosed courtyard/external performance space to the rear of the site, including the provision of a number of outdoor basketball/netball and tennis courts.

BREEAM Rating and Score - Very Good, 62.8

The Key Innovative and Low-Impact Design Features of the Building – The project aims to be sustainable, maximising the use of daylighting and natural ventilation.  The external building envelope will be thermally efficient, achieving U-values that exceed the Building Regulations.  Sustainable and responsibly sourced materials will be used throughout.  Significant carbon reductions will be achieved through the use of low carbon technologies, including PVs and solar thermal arrays.  Low water usage sanitary ware will be installed throughout the building, including fittings all WCs and Showers.  Low energy usage electrical and light fitting will be installed throughout the building.

Basic Building Cost - £1,170 / m2

Services Costs - £400 / m2

External Works Cost - £275 / m2

Gross Floor Area – 1,470 m2

Total Area of Site – 5.526 ha

Function Areas and their Sizes - Sports Hall 605 m2, Changing Facilities 125 m2, Teaching 205 m2, Admin. 25 m2; Total 960 m2

Area of Circulation - 180 m2

Area of Storage - 95 m2

% Area of Grounds to be used by the Community - N/A

% Area of Buildings to be used by the Community – 60%

Predicted Electricity Consumption - 33.9 kWh/m2

Predicted Fossil Fuel Consumption - 128.1 kWh/m2

Predicted Renewable Energy Generation - 16.7 kWh/m2

Predicted Water Use – 10.4 m3 / person / year

% Predicted Water Use to be provided

by Rainwater or Grey-water - N/A

Steps Taken during the Construction Process to Reduce Environmental Impacts – All temporary services connected to the school’s supply will be sub-metered, with weekly records kept for monitoring purposes.  All electrical equipment including heaters will be turned off out of hours, with heaters operated on timers when required.  Urinal flushing mechanisms in site toilets will be checked regularly to ensure a reduction in water use.  Constant monitoring of site noise (sound insulated tools and silenced plant to be used), site dust (wet cutting used to reduce dust) and site materials (i.e. sustainable timber and recycled materials/aggregates will be used; accurate measurement of materials will help minimise waste) to reduce environmental impact.  Labour, plant and materials will use local suppliers.  Waste materials will be recycled in separate skips on site or recycled at the contractor’s waste collection yard.

Social or Economically Sustainable Measures Achieved/Piloted - The project embraces an approach to sustainability that goes beyond green materials and reducing carbon emissions.  Low carbon technology and a thermally efficient building envelope will result in lower running costs when compared with a building of conventional construction and the provision for on-site cyclist facilities and the development of a site-specific Travel Policy will also reduce CO2 emissions associated with transport.  The construction process could also be used as a learning resource for the school, feeding into curriculum lessons.  Further, the school prides itself in providing their pupils with relevant skills to enable them to go out into the workplace and beyond, and so the project is seen as a landmark development in the wider community, offering the potential for wider integration as a key measure of social sustainability. 

Work Begins...

Hello and welcome to the first update on the progress of the construction of the New Sports Hall for The Westgate School in Slough.  The New Sports Hall has been designed to complement the two earlier building phases design by ADP for The Westgate School. Therefore the appearance of the proposed building will take its cue from buildings that exist on-site and in doing so, the design of the New Sports Hall will strengthen and enhance the image of the School as a whole, and will provide the School with an essential new sports facility that will improve the sports curriculum for the school and the wider community.

As you'll see, work on site has already begun - the soil has been broken and the steel frame is currently under construction which really helps to visualise the form that the new building will take.

We're pleased and excited to be involved in this project and in being able to continue working with the School, and we hope that you will be too.  At ADP, the architects behind the design of the new building, we believe that architecture is about more than just building: it is about you, and so we hope that you'll keep in touch with how the project is developing and share your thoughts with us on-line.

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