Youngsters at West Heath Primary School in Birmingham have stepped foot into their brand new, modern school, after work was completed on a two-storey building on the site of the existing school.
The project has been delivered thanks to the partnership between Acivico, Wolverhampton-based architect, Tweedale, and contractor, Balfour Beatty.
Designed by Tweedale, the new building is steel-framed with SIPS (Structural Insulated Panel System), which consist of timber panels from sustainable sources with an insulating foam core. The key benefits of SIPS are insulation, air-tightness and speed of build, as the SIPs are manufactured off-site in factories. These combined factors result in a building system that is strong, energy efficient and cost effective.
Balfour Beatty, which began construction work in January 2018, will soon move on to demolishing the old building and replacing it with a landscaped multi-use games area, with both grass and hard surface play areas.
The delivery of this project has been overseen by Acivico.
Sara Smith, Senior Project Manager at Acivico, said: “It’s a very exciting time when you handover a building to the client, but I’m most looking forward to when the children step into the new school and see the looks on their faces. This has been a fantastic project to be involved with and it’s successful delivery is down to the strong working relationship between Acivico, Tweedale and Balfour Beatty, as well as our partnership with West Heath Primary School.”
Tweedale Associate, Liam Popplewell, added: “We have a solid track record in the education sector and our aim is to always design buildings that combine innovation with the practicality that a 21st century school requires. We’re really proud of this project – it’s a wonderful learning environment that will benefit both these current pupils, as well as all those who will come after them.”
