The project at Aquinas College involved the construction of a standalone teaching block which comprised of adaptable teaching rooms, staff facilities and learning hub. The intention for the building was to act as an extension of their current teaching space within the main college as well as an exam centre during exam times. The new building is set within the grounds of the main college campus on land previously occupied by the original college building which was demolished circa 2010 following the new college opening.
One of the initial challenges we faced was the existing ground had not been fully remediated during the demolition of the original college. Remnants of the previous college building and car park where present within the new building footprint as well as soft spots from poorly compacted fill. Although unforeseen this was anticipated as the strategy was always to use driven steel casings filled with concrete to which the reinforced pile caps and ground beams where installed.
The superstructure consisted of multiple facade materials to which intricate bespoke junctions had to be developed to ensure the design performance of the building was achieved whilst fully complying with Building Regulations. This entailed detailed coordination between the design team, subcontractors and suppliers to produce a high quality and efficient building. Main parties involved:
As the new teaching block was set within the existing college grounds safeguarding and student safety was the number one priority. To ensure this was adhered to the site setup was fully enclosed behind solid timber hoarding with an area large enough to ensure all site traffic that entered the shared college drive could be brought onto site, offloaded, turned around and sent away without hindering any college movements. We also worked within client-imposed time restrictions to ensure none of our activities impeded the college.
A particular strength of Nu Construction is their personal attention to detail and the aptitude of their Managing Director and Commercial Director whose communication capabilities provide concise problem-solving results.
A particular strength of Nu Construction is their personal attention to detail and the aptitude of their Managing Director and Commercial Director whose communication capabilities provide concise problem-solving results.