Client: Department of Education & Science
Project: Athy School
This DoES fast-track design and build project consisted of the construction of a primary school building comprising of 1 No. 8-Classroom, two storey building with support teaching spaces and ancillary accommodation with a total floor area of c.1,100sqm. on a site with an overall area of 10,550sqm. The site works to the school grounds involved of the provision of cycle storage, bin stores, ball courts, project gardens, landscaping and boundary treatment and all other associated site development works. The works to the remainder of the site consisted of the provision of 22 no. car parking spaces, drop-off and pick-up facilities.
In order to achieve completion by November 2008, ABM Design and Build procured a system build solution which enabled ‘fast-track’ construction. The school was constructed with a high emphasis on build quality and durability and the solution to this was Fusion, an off-site manufactured steel framed building system which is IBA certified. This system build solution consisted of a unique pre-insulated light gauge steel external wall system, which was combined with internal load bearing walls to provide low carbon structures. The application of this particular system has recently been approved, by the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland, as a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course.
The ground works commenced simultaneously with the off-site fabrication of the steel frame system. After week four, the ground works and off-site fabrication period was complete. The steel frame system which is highly efficient in terms of transport utilisation was delivered to site from Co. Cork and craned into position just after installation of the precast concrete stairs.
Externally, the façade comprised a combination of Aquapanel cement board render, dark textured fibre cement panels and polycarbonate panels which had a screen printed decorative detail. The polycarbonate sheet served a number of purposes. It was used to allow light to pass through the void over the entrance door and to provide light to the meeting room and corridor. By allowing sunlight through, solar heat gain was increased within the building. Aesthetically, the polycarbonate sheeting retained the symmetrical lines of the cement panels.
Once the windows and roof system were complete, the building was ‘watertight’ allowing internal finishes to begin at week 10. Wherever possible, off-site fabrication of the internal components were used such as pre-hung door sets, internal wall partitions, kitchens, cubicles, and heating pipe work runs.
All civil works were carried out in accordance with The National Roads Authorities guidelines and parameters.
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