Lexden Springs SEND School - Various canopies and shelters

The Brief

Morgan Sindall were tendering for an £18.8 million refurbishment of Lexden Springs School in Colchester, Essex which cares for children with special educational needs. The refurbishment included relocating the school to a new site with a brand-new building which would enable the school to create an additional x80 places, almost doubling the number of pupils they can support and offering an additional x30 boarding places for pupils.

The Senior Quantity Surveyor from Morgan Sindall first contacted Able Canopies in December 2017 with the canopy designs that were produced by Curl La Tourelle Head Architecture. He asked us to submit our proposals for the canopy structures which included a number of free-standing canopies spread around various locations within the new school grounds.

The Solution

After various conversations between Able Canopies and Morgan Sindall, plus a change in the original canopy requirements to ensure the very best solutions were found, we were able to cultivate a number of designs that suited the requirements of Morgan Sindall, the architect and the school staff.

To achieve this, we utilised the Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy to its full potential for many of the designs by incorporating rear posts, transforming it into a free-standing canopy and fixing two canopies back to back to create an apex roof design and a much bigger span. Not only did this ensure all canopies had similarities to create a uniform yet contrasting appearance, it also meant we could keep costs down and all the requirements from the architect were met.

We installed a total of five canopies that feature timber end panels. The panels we use on our canopies are often clear polycarbonate however, it was an important requirement that the outside area featured a range of colours and textures to enhance the sensory experience for the children whilst playing. We are also able to source splinter proof timber to make it a much safer environment for them.