Slough Schools are now building in ( CLT ) Cross Laminated Timber.
All images are courtesy of LRA Architecture.
BUILDING ARBOUR VALE SCHOOL
We were asked by Arbour Vale School in Slough to assist with the build of four Special Educational Needs classrooms in time for the new school year in September 2024.
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Arbour Vale was adamant that the classrooms should meet the highest standards of quality and should be constructed of a material that would put the children in the best learning environment.
Having identified the potential bureaucratic barriers (planning, utilities etc) this was a tight but achievable timescale if dealt with efficiently.
We helped put the design and construction team together, and to save time we had to conduct negotiations on several fronts simultaneously. These negotiations would normally have been dealt with one after the other.
We were even able to negotiate an expedited delivery, so that it could be on site within six weeks of the order going into the manufacturer- as opposed to the 8 weeks we normally advise. As I write (early August 2024) there have been a few hold ups as unbeknown to the contractor, cables and drains were found beneath the site, which have caused two weeks of delays.
Initially designed as a series of modular buildings, the team decided quite late in the process that it would be better delivered as a panellised structure.
We are pleased to tell you that we made it.
We have been able to delay delivery to meet the delayed delivery date and the material will be delivered to site at the end of this month.
A big shout out to the School, the local education authority and their advisers, who have strongly supported the project throughout and see this as a prototype for rolling out more school facilities in the future, all built to exacting standards with the best interests of the children in mind, during the summer holidays.
To be continued …….