CGJ Services were approached in May 2016 by Stepnell Construction of Rugby, to assist with the pricing of M&E services to a proposed new school, built on a site which was previously the location for the Rugby Radio Station, which was the worlds largest radio transmission station and in 1927 sent the first ever transatlantic telephone call to the United States.
This development represents the first phase of a 1,200-acre development which will eventually comprise 6,200 new homes, three primary schools, a secondary school, a GP health centre, 31 hectares of employment space and 299 hectares of open space. This new community is to be called Houlton, as the first Transatlantic telephone call was made to Houlton in the US state of Maine.
During the costing process, CGJ attended meetings with Stepnell, Hoare Lea and the client to engineer the costs and services in order to meet the available budget, whilst ensuring that the services are flexible enough to allow the building to be extended and the site to accommodate an additional two phases, projected for the next stages in the development.
The first phase of the project is the main primary school building, which will be a single storey construction, with cooking and dining facilities and 8 modern teaching classrooms, which will be naturally ventilated by means of roof mounted turrets. The building will be predominantly heated with LPHW radiant panels, and illuminated with LED lighting with daylight dimming as applicable. This building will house the main plant for the whole of the three phase development, which will be fed by external heating, water and electrical services to be laid below ground level.
The second phase of the project extends the main building by two classrooms, and adds a new building comprising 6 classrooms with toilet facilities.
The third and final phase adds an identical 6 classroom building to that provided in the second phase, plus a linked studio development.
The buildings have been positioned to make best use of natural heating and light by careful use of south facing glazing. The building is predominantly naturally ventilated, and the whole site is designed to assist security, requiring minimal use of door access and CCTV.
The project is due to be completed by Summer 2017.
