"school"

Class winner in RIBA’s Yorkshire White Rose Awards 2008 was Sharrow Road School in Sheffield, where the active interest of the staff and pupils also earned them the title of "Yorkshire Client of the Year".

•An OFSTED ‘Outstanding’ Rated school, the Ormiston Venture Academy in Norwich, specified Supacord carpet with inlaid bespoke logo mats from Heckmondwike. •A brand new entrance plaza provided a focal point for the new academy, with Heckmondwike called upon to produce a bespoke mat with the school’s new branding. •Supacord in Steel Grey was used extensively in the school, particularly in corridors and some classrooms, creating a neutral base for more vibrant furniture.

We were excited to start on this project for EBMS at a school in North London, and the finished scheme look fantastic upon completion. A large motoric track multiplay acted as the centrepiece for the area. This structure contains an enormous amount of play features, with two tall slides, net play, bridges, fireman’s poles, climbing tracks, monkey bars, and much, much more!Along with the centrepiece, three new sets of swings were installed, with a basket swing and two sets of flats swings, together with a challenging trim trail. A Stork’s nest climbing frame complete with new wet pour surfacing and ground works finished the project, with the kids at the school chomping at the bit to start playing.

This Edge Grove School has used the Laudescher2.4.3 system that will not only work as an absorbing surface but also works at diffusing the sound. Along with the great acoustic properties the Linea range also adds to the natural aesthetics.

For this new build extension of the existing school, DYNAMIK worked alongside Bowmer & Kirkland and the architects Bond Bryan to install an area elastic sprung floor system along with acoustic walling in their new Sports Hall.

This brand-new, state-of-the-art school features Klasse G-board external sheathing in the latest stages of its construction!Why not check out the latest video update here: https://youtu.be/dmxPgArKGIM

The School of Architecture and Built Environment (SoABE) is the latest addition to the University of Wolverhampton’s investment in a new super-campus at the site of the former M&B Springfield Brewery, now transformed into a magnificent venue for learning and research.

In February of 2022, Towelrads embarked on a collaborative venture, joining a 36-month ongoing initiative aimed at retrofitting Cwmglas Primary School. To ensure minimal disruption to the school’s daily operations, this project has been thoughtfully divided into several stages.Stage 1The initial phase, designated as Stage 1, focused on the top floor of the school premises. Specifically, attention was directed towards the music education and nurture rooms situated on this level. A noticeable difference in temperature existed within these spaces, making them colder than other areas throughout the school. These rooms sported aging standing convector heaters, rendering them ineffective. Furthermore, the characteristics of the building’s construction, the room dimensions, and the heat load posed challenges that rendered conventional low surface temperature radiators insufficient.In response, the decision was made to utilise the Towelrad TZT convector heater equipped with an integrated fan. This selection proved suitable for the low-temperature wet heating system, offering an elevated heating capacity. Notably, the rounded edges of the TZT convector heater not only enhanced its aesthetic appeal but also elevated the safety of the products, rendering it an ideal choice for a school.The thermostat-controlled fan speed of the TZT convector heater ensured continuous and responsive temperature management within the room, promoting optimal thermal comfort.Although the solution was successfully implemented within the designated rooms, the challenge persisted in the corridors. Enter our Vertical and Horizontal LST Ultra Radiators, serving as the perfect antidote to this issue. Our Ultra LST radiators deliver impressive heat output while maintaining a low surface area. Moreover, their covers, measuring a substantial 2mm in thickness (above industry standards), guaranteed safety across the entirety of the top floor.The Future: Stage 2With the successful completion of Stage 1, marked by the seamless integration of our products into the design framework, we have been entrusted with an extension of our role into Stage 2. This forthcoming phase encompasses the lower floor of the school, encompassing the dining hall, corridors, and classrooms. This work will be carried out over the summer months so that come the start of the school term the students can tackle the winter months in a comfortable learning environment.

IssueHutchesons’ Grammar School is a co-educational, independent school in the southside of Glasgow. Founded in 1641, the school has a long-held record of academic achievement and offers pupils an unrivalled choice of extra-curricular activities at its primary and secondary schools. The kitchen, serving area and coffee/dining hall ‘The Bistro’ were being modernised to bring the facilities up to date and in keeping with the school’s standards of excellence.ApproachAfter a visit with an Altro Specification Consultant and considering the need to keep project timescales as short as possible, the installation needed a quick to lay, robust solution for the floors. With a unique blue and grey colour scheme tying into the school’s brand and emblem, the floor design needed to match this.SolutionAltro Wood adhesive-free in colours Soft Maple and Vintage Oak were installed in the dining hall and kitchen servery, helping to reduce the installation time by 50%, quickly returning the area to use.Altro Ensemble was installed in the Coffee/Bistro area in a diagonal, mixed pattern of colours Greige Rustic Oak, Medium Grey Harmonious Oak, Barrel Oak and Tobacco Limed Striking Oak.Altro Stronghold in colour Monsoon was installed in the kitchen, providing safety from slips and comfort underfoot for the busy staff.

Broxap Street Furniture has designed, manufactured and installed a range of cycle parking and has supplied seating, picnic benches, door barriers and litter and recycling bins for the £20 million Chorlton High School South.

An 8m long Twinfix canopy installed on the front of the Lower Willingdon Pre-School Nursery in Eastbourne is proving a great success. With a 2.8m projection from the building and fitted with vertical glazing at both ends, Julie Langford, Nursery Manager, says it has made a tremendous difference to the nursery, with the extra space also being well used by the Breakfast and After School Clubs, as well as by parents dropping off and collecting their children.

The dining canopy has been a fantastic addition to St Mary's and St John’s CE School. Students now have more choice when considering where to hang out with friends or eat at break times and lunchtimes, and queues in the indoor facilities have been significantly reduced!

Over ten years ago The States of Guernsey in the Channel Islands wanted to source 500m2 of sports flooring for The Guernsey Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre. Taraflex® Evolution sports flooring was specified for their main sports hall.

A series of stainless steel worktops were specified within classrooms of this Mid-Glamorgan Primary School.A clean, neat and highly resilient result was achieved through the use of continuous worktops, with integrated sinks. Lipped edges (edge 3) were included to prevent spillage and to prevent items rolling-off the worktop onto the floor. Integral upstands were specified to the junctions between the worktop and walls, providing a highly practical and lasting result. 

SCW curtain wall. SPW300 windows. SD commercial door system. Leicester’s latest newly built school has been creatively designed and fitted with a suite of aluminium doors, windows and curtain wall from Senior Architectural Systems’ high performance ranges, which collectively account for around 60% of the building’s facade. The building is simple and functional, yet the impressive result is a reflection of the school’s aim to inspire and reflect the rich and diverse community it serves.

DCM Surfaces worked on the school project with HAGS. Colourful, playful and an environment where children were safe to run around and explore, were the requirements from the school. As the children ranged in age from 5 to 11 years, the space also had to be accessible for all ages.Eight colours of wetpour and two colours of rubber mulch was used to create a variety of graphics over four areas, including a roadway with markings, leaf designs and intricate patterns around the play equipment area.The Managing Director at HAGS commented:“We have been using DCM Surfaces for many years now and always find the team to be very knowledgeable, professional and willing to go the extra mile to ensure the job is completed to a very high standard within the set time.”

Becket Keys School specified an area where international flooring specialist Gerflor made a positive difference by supplying some 680m2 of their outstanding high performance Taraflex® sports flooring in ‘Oak’ for the planned refurbishment of the new sports hall.

DYNAMIK got a glimpse of royalty as HRH The Duke of Kent opened Esher C of E High School’s new sports hall. The sports hall itself has been designed to include a sprung wooden floor and accommodates sports such as Badminton, Volleyball, Basketball, Netball, 5 a-side football, cricket nets, and archery, ranging from community to international standards. The choice of flooring for such a highly ambitious sporting school was the DYNAMIK Helsinki system with a European Oak hardwood surface.

The new £18.9 million Wallyford Primary School opened in February 2019.The school is the first of two to be built in the Wallyford area amidst the construction of 2,050 new houses in the area.Broxap were chosen to supply all external street furniture, cycle shelters and a Keep It Kool canopy.Products included a series of ‘Fallowfield‘ concrete seats which were dressed in Grey BG01 Dressed finish. FSC certified Hardwood Timber planters.Cycle parking is facilitated via Broxap’s Cambridge Junior Shelters with Sheffield Stands beneath.A waterproof Keep it Kool Shade Cairns sail was provided with a Moss Green coloured fabric. This was positioned above a bespoke steel framed bench featuring FSC hardwood Radial Slats, planed and sanded.Also provided in areas around the school were a series of Broxap Synergy 200 MDPE Recycle Bins with general waste and plastic bottles and cans indicators on alternate sides.Roddy Clark, project director for hub South East said, “We’ve delivered a first-class facility for pupils and staff alongside a range of benefits for the wider community. A great deal of work has gone into the design and construction of the new school and the feedback received so far has been extremely positive.”

In the world of education, the physical environment plays a crucial role in shaping the learning experiences of students. To ensure that every child has equal access to education, the Department for Education (DfE) in the United Kingdom has laid down comprehensive guidelines for the design and construction of school buildings. Two key documents, BB103 and BB104, stand at the forefront of this initiative, setting standards to promote inclusivity and accessibility within educational settings.BB103 | Designing Accessible School BuildingsFor mainstream schools, BB103 mandates the inclusion of accessible facilities to accommodate pupils, students, staff, and visitors with disabilities. Crucially, this includes the provision of a specialist hygiene room equipped with either a fixed or mobile hoist, alongside ample space for assistants to facilitate the changing process.In primary schools, the hygiene room must span a minimum of 9m² and feature essentials such as a changing bed and accessible WC.Secondary schools, on the other hand, are required to allocate a minimum of 12m² for their hygiene rooms, which should additionally incorporate an accessible shower, sluice toilet, and changing trolley. These specifications are designed to ensure that hygiene rooms meet the unique needs of students across different age groups and educational settings.According to recent statistics from the DfE, approximately 14.1% of children in the UK have special educational needs, highlighting the critical importance of ensuring that school environments are inclusive and supportive.BB104 | Catering to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)BB104 further refines the standards for hygiene rooms in special schools and alternative provisions (APs). For non-ambulant special schools or units, the guideline stipulates the provision of one hygiene room for every 12 non-ambulant pupil places. These rooms must be equipped with a fixed hoist, a changing bed, a wash hand basin, an accessible WC, and an accessible shower, underscoring the comprehensive support required for students with profound disabilities.In ambulant special schools and APs, one hygiene room per setting is mandated, featuring either a fixed or mobile hoist, a changing bed, a wash hand basin, and an accessible WC.Additionally, all hygiene rooms are required to have facilities for waste disposal, such as a sluice or equivalent, to maintain hygiene standards and ensure the efficient management of waste.Conclusion | Building for a Brighter FutureAs educators and stakeholders in the education sector, it is our collective responsibility to champion inclusivity and accessibility in every aspect of school design and construction. By understanding and implementing the guidelines outlined in BB103 and BB104, we pave the way for a brighter, more inclusive future where every child has the opportunity to thrive and succeed.How can we help? Our skilled team have many years’ experience of planning and installing equipment within public environments such as schools and universities. Please do get in touch if you need help or advice with your project or further support on the Government requirements for equipment that needs to be installed to support SEND students.

Four Formica® Laminates were specified for fire doors in Octavia House School, an independent specialist therapeutic school based in Essex, UK. Doors were designed for high traffic areas including classrooms, offices, toilets and communal spaces such as corridors and halls.

This Edge Grove School had our Laudescher system that will not only work as an absorbing surface but also diffusing the sound waves to insure better room acoustics. This will create lower sound reverberation and lower sound pressure levels which will aid speech intelligibility.

"The quality of the teaching walls is excellent, they are very robust. The teachers are really impressed with the functionality, the storage and what they can do with the teaching walls and overall it’s thumbs ups. The reaction of the teachers and pupils was one of ‘it’s really well designed, the colour scheme is really good, it matches the room, the storage is much more that you would think against just one wall of the classroom. We definitely want to use the Boyco range again." - Hasib Hikmat, Business Manager, Olga Primary School

Prior Weston Primary, located in the City of London, required a large south facing free standing canopy that would create solar energy for their school whilst also protecting their pupils from the elements. David Everett, the school’s Business Manager contacted Able Canopies for a free site survey and quotation as he had seen a Shade Sail array that we had installed at Richard Cloudesley Special School which is situated on the same site as Prior Weston Primary School.

Lanner Primary School is dedicated to promoting a caring ethos. The school is always looking for ways to make cost effective improvements for the safety and comfort of pupils and to enhance their learning and playing experiences. The school hall floor needed replacing, and had issues with sound reverberation and was an uncomfortable surface for students to sit on. Eden Flooring & Interiors suggested Altro Orchestra to increase comfort and improve acoustics . Specifying a comfort flooring option can improve the performance of space for children and those with hearing difficulties, and aid concentration, creating a more effective learning environment.

Bobrick DuraLineSeries® Compact Laminate partitions are central to the first all-gender school restroom in Washington State.

Contemporary concrete benches and tables are very much at home in the historic King Edward VI Aston School setting.

School kitchen flooring refurbishment Millfield School kitchen flooring has recently been subject to a significant makeover. The existing vinyl finishes were showing significant signs of wear and needed to be replaced with a new flooring that offered better slip resistance and durability without the need for frequent repairs.The services of specialist industrial flooring installers, Inca Flooring & Structural Ltd, were called upon to offer advice and guidance in selecting the most suited school kitchen flooring solution.Millfield School required a flooring solution that could withstand the test of time in a constantly busy kitchen environment. In order to fulfil the client’s requirements to the highest standards, the contractors recommended using Degafloor’s fast curing, slip-resistant Full Broadcast System with associated coving.Degafloor Full Broadcast is specifically designed to deliver outstanding hygiene, performance and safety even in tough environments such as commercial kitchens, canteens and food technology areas.The school kitchen flooring was installed across two kitchen areas. Due to the ultra-fast curing nature of Degafloor MMA and flexibility of the contractor, the entire project was completed over the Xmas break.

A 36 metre long mono-pitched Twinfix canopy installed at Lancaster Road Primary School in Morecambe has added considerably to the education of their 90 reception children. The new canopy is adjacent to the classrooms, thus ensuring easy free-flow of indoor/outdoor provision.

Tobermore’s Landscape Designer, Beth Moore, provided an expert design advice service for this educational facility which required an aesthetically pleasing solution designed for purpose. Secura Grand was an attractive and functional choice for the school amphitheatre the paving products specified complemented the site perfectly.

‘‘Before this project went ahead we stipulated that our suppliers needed, not only to provide highly thought out, stylish systems but also to be hot on the quality of their service too. I’m delighted to say, we got both from Venesta.’’ Mr Grove, Head, Belleville Primary School A key consideration on this project was timing. The refurbishment was planned for the school holidays, meaning it had to be gutted and refitted in just six weeks. Thankfully, the highly efficient Venesta team was able to rise to the challenge and delivered the cubicles on time and ready to install.

The Burry Port Community School is the first Passivhaus School in Walesa in a design collaboration between Carmarthenshire County Council and Architype architects. A major contribution to the pleasant environment was the choice of Troldtekt acoustic ceiling panels, especially in the classrooms and potentially noisy open spaces. Specified throughout the UK and Europe, the benefits of the 100% natural wood fibres panels include high sound absorption, high durability, natural breathability, low cost life cycle performance and sustainability documented by Cradle to Cradle certification at silver level.

PROJECT BACKGROUND: Ongoing improvements were in progress at the school, focused on enhancing accessibility. These improvements included widening existing interior openings and introducing new exterior doors equipped with ramps.REQUIREMENT:  The ramps needed to comply with DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) standards and feature childproof, slip-resistant surface coverings.END RESULT: Once the new doors were in place, we installed the DDA ramps accordingly with a 1:15 gradient.Each system was fitted with our Safetread Rubber Surface. This is a cushiony, slip-resistant ramp covering designed to minimise the impact of falls.This product is constructed from materials identical to those used in soft play areas and enjoys wide popularity among nurseries, schools, and public facilities. Moreover, it offers a variety of colour options and maintains its performance even in adverse weather conditions.

In addressing the needs of a high-traffic SEN school, we encountered the challenge of facilitating maximum opening width at the main entrance to accommodate pupils arriving in a variety of special needs vehicles, all while prioritising security and safety for the students.To meet these multifaceted requirements, we devised a tailored solution centred around the design and installation of two bi-folding automatic aluminium doors. These doors were strategically positioned to create an internal lobby, providing a controlled environment where staff could independently manage each door. Crucially, this setup was seamlessly integrated with the existing school access control system, ensuring a high level of security while facilitating smooth traffic flow.Our innovative design also incorporated an air lock system, enhancing safety protocols by creating a secure buffer zone between the exterior and interior of the school. This air lock system not only provided added security but also offered the flexibility to transition to fully automated doors during open days and emergencies, ensuring efficient and safe ingress and egress as needed.By combining functionality, security, and adaptability, our solution successfully addressed the unique challenges faced by SEN school, providing a safe and accessible entrance that could accommodate the diverse needs of its student body while maintaining a high level of security at all times.

From the beginning, architects DLR Group designed Metea Valley High School in Aurora, Illinois, to light up education, both literally and figuratively. The sprawling campus with room for 3,000 students is broken down into a handful of more intimate, human-scale learning spaces, called “think tanks”, where interaction with faculty is encouraged. Two interior courtyards, open to the sky, offer fresh air during free periods. Shaped a bit like a bow tie, Metea combines three concepts – mind, in the midsection, and body and soul on either end – to offer students a truly 21st century school experience.Lighting up Metea in the literal sense comes largely from the extensive use of Kalwall translucent curtain wall throughout the school. Upon coming through the school’s main entrance, visitors are struck by the cheerful, airy, daylighted lobby. Controlled daylight also pours into the school’s innermost areas, traditionally a structure’s darkest, from the courtyards. Kalwall introduces daylight into the vast commons area that serves as the students’ lunchroom. In the gymnasium, Kalwall’s shadowless, glare-free light enhances ball handling in team events; sunlight does not glance off the shiny court surface. The diffuse-light-transmitting panels also prevent glare off computer screens, easing eyestrain. And in a dramatic demonstration of Kalwall’s superb flexibility, the design includes occasional, narrow, horizontal runs of clear glass – some serving as clerestories – adding visual interest as well as clear views to the outside.At 464,000 square feet, Metea could have been an energy-consumption nightmare, adding significantly to its $125 million total project cost. But innovations such as demand control ventilation, energy recovery wheels, and high efficiency boilers will save Indian Prairie School District 204, the state’s fifth largest, thousands of utility dollars every year and pay for themselves in just a few years. In fact, the building’s design is targeted to be 19 percent more efficient than ASHRAE 90.1 requires. Because translucent Kalwall admits so much controlled daylight, the school’s exterior light harvesting system, which monitors indoor light levels, can actually turn off electric lights in public spaces automatically when they are not needed. The harvesting system alone is expected to save the district over £16,000 a year in operational costs with a payback of under seven years.Illinois can get very cold in the winter and quite toasty in the summer. Highly insulating Kalwall helps there, too, keeping temperature extremes outside and lessening the need for and cost of heating and cooling. During the manufacturing process, standard 2-3/4” and optional 4” Kalwall sandwich panels can be infilled with various densities of specialized, translucent insulation. Architects and designers can achieve a thermal insulation value of up to R-20 (0.05 Btu/hr/ft²/F).At Metea Valley High School, DLR Group chose to include Verti-kal™, a unique design variation on the standard shoji or square grid layouts of Kalwall Translucent Systems. The panels incorporate internal, continuous supports to provide a vertical emphasis. As with all Kalwall translucent systems, Verti-kal distributes diffused daylight throughout the school, even on cloudy days, drastically reducing the amount of artificial lighting required and eliminating shadows and glare as well as stark contrasts of light and shade. Verti-Kal can be supplied in panels up to 5 ft. (1.5 m) wide and up to 12 ft. (3.6 m) high, minimizing the number of joints. The unique format creates an entirely different look while still utilizing the most highly insulating, diffuse-light-transmitting, structural composite technology.Any school system must concern itself with maintenance costs, and Kalwall excels there as well. The panels are vandal-resistant and self cleaning; dirt simply washes off with each rainfall. After dark, the diffuse, translucent properties of Kalwall contain interior lighting and prevent direct-beam light pollution. Instead, the exterior surface of the building simply glows beautifully, boosting Metea Valley High School’s aesthetics and welcoming both students and the surrounding community to a true masterpiece of daylighting.Photography: James Steinkamp

As part of a £1.2m development of a new PE block, Selby High required a durable and robust washroom area to withstand both the wet and dry environments of the school toilets and shower facilities. They needed to provide privacy without compromising on the space to provide an adequate number of cubicles. Fusion was selected for its contemporary, slim line fittings, with full height privacy doors, and ultra-strong metal frames that add rigidity to the cubicles. The design flexibility and colour choices meant that they could choose a bold yet sophisticated design that reflected their school colours.