Though very much preferable, the majority of school redesigns and sixth form centre refurbishments can’t be done in a single term break while the students are out. The complexity or urgency of the tasks involved may require you to carefully plan student traffic and lessons around construction.
At Johnson Design Partnership, our experienced education architects, BSA Principal Designers and CDM Principal Designers have many sustainable school designs under their belt, alongside careful management of sixth form centre refurbishments as they were carried out.
In this article, we’ll explore practical strategies that minimise disruption and maximise the final results.
By far, some of the most disruptive and costly school construction projects are those related to sustainable school design and retrofitting ageing institutes with modern school architecture. For this reason, many institutions put off these sorts of works, or turn instead to modular classrooms.
Cheap and relatively easy to install, modular buildings are often touted (by their manufacturers no less) as the future of schools and sixth form centres. But even modular classrooms advertised as permanent solutions have only a few decades of use, with increasing upkeep costs as they age. Many have lasted less than advertised due to complications and poor construction.
Their very nature segregates them from the main school campus, with design optimised for cheap construction and transportation instead of maintaining positive learning environments. Ask students what they think of their modular classrooms, and they will say cold in winter, boiling in summer, stuffy, damp, run-down, noisy – all detrimental to the learning environment.
If educational institutes are to be modernised and future-proofed, school and sixth form centre refurbishments must be made with truly innovative designs that take full advantage of the campus’s features.
Shooters Hill School Extension made from shipping containers.
This doesn’t mean updating it with modern or “smart” technology, but instead through the inclusion of modern school architecture techniques that make the building sustainable and resistant to long-term shifts in educational and maintenance needs.
Classrooms that can be repurposed or reconfigured easily, include energy-efficient systems and use robust and sustainable school building materials minimise the need for future expensive retrofits and refurbishments later.
Now that we have covered the need for renovation work, we’ll get into what you came to read; our practical strategies to help you through these challenges.
Engineering and Vocational Training Block Design
You’ve already evaluated the current state of facilities and identified what needs to be changed. You may have even plotted out what modern school architecture and amenities you want. This is the critical stage to start predicting and planning around potential disruption.
When the school redesign is in the draft phase, it’s important to communicate with your chosen education architect to identify which parts of the project must be completed first, which can be delayed while classes are in progress, and much more. With this information, you can create a schedule of work planning around school holidays for the most important and disruptive tasks, with minor and less disruptive work while school is in session.
Modern school architecture requires a delicate balance between how educational and learning environment needs are met, with budget and building regulation compliance. Sustainable school design considerations aren’t just low-carbon heating, ventilation, and renewable resource harvesting systems – adaptive classrooms, plants, and resource-saving measures can make facilities more sustainable over the long term.
A feasibility study can address all these considerations and form the backbone of a renovation project. Our team of education architects begin with an in-depth assessment of the existing facilities and evaluate how expansion or refurbishment can include modern school architecture whilst remaining budget-friendly and standards compliant.
Our team of education architects and CDM Principal Designers can provide you with project assessments with the goal of keeping students away from the refurbishment works and where to place temporary signage or blockades.
Architects are masters of wayfinding and much like we would with new permeant signage, we can help you create the project plan to redirect the flow of student traffic to prevent students from going where they should not.
Signage should clearly tell children why the area is off limits and where they should go to get around the site. But don’t get comfortable yet. Warning signage isn’t enough to keep curious students away. You must include health and safety considerations in your work plan that make it difficult for students to access any construction sites.
By far the most effective way is to use solid construction hoarding around the perimeter of the works and material storage. These can be installed internally too, with security locks that ensure children cannot access the site or hazardous construction materials.
As part of the detailed design phase prior to construction, your CDM Principal Designer will support the project team in identifying, collating and, where reasonably practicable, eliminating or reducing risks through design. The remaining risks and associated control measures will then be documented within the Pre-Construction Information (PCI) Document, which will be provided to the contractor to inform the development of their Construction Phase Plan.
Both documents will be available on site and used to support site inductions, briefings and ongoing risk management. They will be reviewed and updated at appropriate intervals throughout the project to ensure that risks remain suitably identified, controlled and communicated as the design and construction works progress.
Quick to install and remove, portable school buildings like classroom units, changing rooms, sports rooms, or lunchrooms are available to rent. We already discussed the disadvantages buildings like these have in maintaining a positive learning environment, so its important you understand the best time to use them.
These buildings are best implemented in situations where:
Our education architects can provide you with land surveys for the viability and placement of temporary buildings that will allow you to go full steam ahead with renovations.
Ensuring safety, keeping staff, stakeholders and families up to date, and ensuring work is kept to a high standard is difficult to manage alone. This is another area where an education sector architect can assist.
An architectural project manager bridges the gap between the initial school redesign drafts and the execution, liaising with contractors and the school board to keep the project on schedule. As a registered architect, they can make revisions to the design where required, to minimise budget overruns while keeping the core vision intact.
We have worked on many school and sixth form centre refurbishment projects of varying complexity and scalability. From innovative extensions to brand new and sustainable school designs. Contact our architectural firm when you’re ready to take the leap to future-proof your educational institution.
