We are currently busy with several ongoing projects within our education sector. The summer holidays are always a favourable time for construction work to take place on a school site. Better weather (hopefully!), less disruption to staff and students, and beautiful, brand new, fully equipped facilities ready for the start of the new academic year.

At Alexandra Park School, London, works have been progressing rapidly, with significant milestones reached. The composite floor slabs are now cast in place, the roof deck is installed, and the Structural Framing System (SFS) is well underway, which transforms the building’s form in a matter of days.

This pace is thanks in no small part to the use of the SFS and dry construction techniques, which provide both programme efficiency and increased certainty. These modern methods allow for a much faster build once the structural frame is up, enabling earlier weatherproofing and a quicker transition to internal works.

Contractor Alcema has maintained excellent momentum on site, working closely with project manager Make, Mechanical and Electrical consultants CBG, and structural engineers Jackson Purdue Lever to keep everything progressing smoothly. The collaborative approach across the design and delivery teams has been key to driving the programme forward, and it won’t be long before cladding and internal fit-out phases begin.

At Heanor Gate Spencer Academy in Derbyshire, the new Post 16 building is off to a strong and steady start.

Working below ground always carries a level of uncertainty, but we’ve encountered very few surprises so far. That’s largely due to the early and detailed planning carried out by the team, including GCA Consulting, BEC Consulting, MTE, and Menard UK. Their careful design work has allowed for a confident approach to excavation and foundation works.

A key part of this success has been the quality of pre-construction surveys and investigations. Greenhatch provided comprehensive topographical data and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys, giving us a clear understanding of the site. This was complemented by extensive ground investigation sampling from Erda Associates, which informed our foundation strategy and ensured we could move forward without delay.

It was great to have Bailey Construction on site, breaking ground and setting out the foundations so that MTE have been able to start constructing the timber frame. This project is progressing well and we look forward to seeing the Post 16 building continuing to evolve in the coming weeks.

Finally, at the John Port Spencer Academy site in Derbyshire, work on the new science building continues apace. Recently, work has mainly focused on plaster boarding internal walls, fitting of pipework, and electrical systems for the lighting, heating, and ventilation.

We are working again with the contractor Bailey Construction, who will soon be starting the external works to form the steps, paving, kerbs, and parking areas.

During our education projects, as the construction phase progresses, you can begin to get a real sense of the scale of the new building and it’s always exciting to see. We’ll continue to provide updates as these projects develop. It’s also a pleasure to see the combined efforts of all our teams. A big thank you to them for their continued hard work and commitment to delivering high-quality educational environments.