Pound Hill Junior School, Crawley

Based in Crawley, West Sussex, Pound Hill Junior School is part of the Modular Batch B schools designed under the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) Primary Component Framework.

The new build comprised a new two-storey 1.5FE modular building for 360 pupils with 12 classrooms, a large hall, studio, and technology rooms. The project involved the development of the new build school adjacent to the existing school. Once completed, the existing school was then demolished, and the footprint of the demolished school supported a new play area for pupils.

Our team worked from RIBA Stage 2 – Concept Design to Stage 6 – Handover. The design incorporated LED lighting with Day Light Dimming Absence Detection controls and hall lighting design with Audi / AV systems. Abnormals Design included:

• Car Park Lighting
• Public Path Lighting Design
• Site security design
• ICT Infrastructure connectivity
• New incoming primary utilities and temporaries

During the design stage, we developed the contractor proposals (CP’s). All classrooms achieved TM52 and BB101 compliance, internal daylight provision compliance with DfE Output specifications has been confirmed using Climate Based Day Light Modelling. Energy metering strategies were developed to allow remote monitoring using the iServ system and allowing buildings carbon usage to be benchmarked.

The school achieved an 11.5% improvement to Part L of the Building Regulation using a Hybrid Ventilation system in all classrooms. These are designed to provide natural ventilation with a mechanical boost option based on internal temperature and CO2 sensors. The commercial kitchen benefited from full gas services with ventilation canopy gas interlocks.

We produced BIM level 2 factor drawings, allowing large portions of the MEP services to be manufactured off-site along with a digital design review process with full clash detection. Our engineers visited the factory to inspect progress and coordinated service installations utilising 360-degree camera technology allowing for live tracking of the progress. Using prefabrication and factory-based methods reduced the construction phase by 46%, compared to a traditional build. Using these modern methods of construction keeps the construction activity away from the actual site, therefore allowing for minimal disruption to the live school.

Images provided by Spatial Initiative