Education Today Education Today Magazine
Modular construction specialist Darwin Group has delivered a brand-new sports hall for Southam College in rural Warwickshire, scaling 1,118 sq m.
In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project took just 51 weeks to complete, owing to the bulk of the construction taking place off-site at Darwin Group’s Shrewsbury-based factory and within a controlled environment.
Part of a wider £2.3 million project, Southam College will also benefit from new changing rooms, a bright and welcoming reception, two new classrooms and a store room for sports equipment. The new building also comes equipped with cricket nets and basketball hoops.
Southam College, home to more than 1,600 students, has a wide physical education curriculum, much of which will be taught and practiced in the new hall.
The new facility will also benefit the wider Southam Community by being available for use by local sports clubs out of hours. The development also includes a new parking area with numerous bays, including a bus bay for visitors and an electric vehicle charging point.
As part of its unique turnkey service covering all stages of the design, planning and construction, Darwin Group worked closely with construction consultancy Baily Garner on a complex planning process.
Additional planning surveys and reports were required to meet the standards set out by both Sport England and Highways England. The building’s initial designs were therefore significantly altered by Darwin Group’s skilled in-house team to ensure a best-in-class result.
The construction site also sat opposite a residential area on a grass field. This required a consistent cleaning process and the use of Trakway panels to ensure the site remained in line with health and safety standards.
Darwin Group also ensured there was no disruption to the live school environment by liaising with neighbouring homes and accounting for class times to ensure the modular build was delivered with minimal disruption.
With the connection points for electric, water, gas, alarms and data located at Southam College’s existing building more than 100m away, Darwin Group liaised closely with the college to ensure the works were carried out outside of term time, thereby avoiding disruption to the existing college grounds and car park.
Charles Pierce, Managing Director at Darwin Group, said: “Delivering high-quality education settings is one of the things our company does best. Darwin Group’s cost effective and seamless service puts the quality and longevity of a build at the heart of every project – and our team knows what it takes to create a first-class learning environment for staff and students to thrive in.
“This exciting development will support thousands of students in the Warwickshire area for years to come and we wish Southam College – and all of its sports students – a fantastic academic term ahead.”
Darwin Group offers financial payment plans and assists with funding applications to ensure client aspirations and budget constraints align. For more information, visit: www.darwingroupltd.co.uk
