Up,Up and away
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010Despite the poor weather over Christmas the site has started to take on another dimension. Steel work has begun to be erected and as a result of this it is clear to see the size and scale of the building. This is an exciting development considering the last two months have been focused on taking away material and establishing the foundations.
The steel work is basically one big meccano kit and requires all beams to be positioned and bolted into place. Contractors plan to have several cranes on site to enable this critical part of the build to be completed as quickly as is possible. Work has progressed well despite the weathers best efforts, one of the wettest Novembers on record has not slowed the completion of the foundations and this current cold spell will not affect the completion of the steel work either. October seems a long time ago now however September does not feel that far away! In the next month the school will be running design workshops with our architect to finalise paint schemes and interior designs.
Top-the initial steel work is put into place.
bottom - the view from the top corner of the building adjacent to the existing taylor centre. This is ground level and is one of the small 6th form teaching rooms.
Work continues at a pace
Monday, November 30th, 2009Since the last post work continues at a pace, despite the rain. In the last month the site has progressed and it is now clear to see the outline of the base of the building(Slab), the final part of the bank has now been removed. Below is a summary of the main works that have been carried out. Tomorrow we should see significant progress with 150 cubic metres of concrete arriving to form the second half of the slab.
- All electrical cables have been diverted
- School data has been rerouted
- New gas and water pipes have been layed to serve new teaching block and will be connected later in the project
- Water diversion to Butlers Court completed
- Drainage diversion from Taylor Building complete
- Mass excavation and muck away complete which has amounted to approx 5000tonnes of material
- We have imported 700 tonnes of stone to form a hard core base to the ground floor slab
- We have 65 tonnes of slab and wall reinforcement on site of which we have layed around 50% on the first half of the slab which we will be pouring on Tuesday December 1st on which we aim to pump in 150 cubic metres of concrete
- The lift shaft pit has been dug waterproofed reinforced and concreted
- Starter bars have been fitted for the retaining walls
Further updates will follow towards the end of term. With work progressing well it is hoped that the steel frame will be constructed soon. This is a major step in construction and is extremely exciting as this will be the first opportunity to see the size and outline shape of the building.
Work has certainly started!
Monday, October 26th, 2009Since the 19th October work has started with a major push. Once the green light was given from our ecologists work has moved at a significant pace meaning that the site is unrecognisable from a week earlier. Significant amounts of soil have been removed, with Lorries ferrying load after load during the day. With the weather forecast looking good for the remainder of the week it is planned to have the majority of the site cleared by the end of the week. When visiting the site it is clear to see the significant progress that has been achieved and also the size of the area that has been cleared. Ecologists were on site again today to ensure that Relocated newts have a new habitat to live in.
Preparation
Monday, October 5th, 2009Over the summer Leadbitter our contractors have set up the site offices and have done some enabling work to ensure that the site is safe and secure. New routes to the existing 6th form centre have been put in place. A new car park has also been provided at the back of the school. See the image gallery page for images of this work.
Welcome to the dedicated BHS ‘Building our Future’ website
Monday, June 15th, 2009Welcome to this special Website dedicated exclusively to our new £2 million Learning Centre. Literally built into the side of a hill, the radical design will become the new heart of the school. Over 300 girls and staff can eat together in the extensive dining facilities overlooking the naturally landscaped pond, home to the great crested newt and many other species. The fabulous new 6th Form areas will enable our senior students to work in a variety of ways to suit their individual learning styles. The classrooms, which will be home to the Humanities and Social Sciences, open out onto communal computer areas where girls can work collaboratively or independently.
We are now in our second year of fundraising; Parents have responded magnificently to the appeal and have already contributed over £800,000. The Government, LA, Business and charities have provided a further £800,000. Fundraising will continue over the next two to three years.
The completion date is August 2010. We hope you’ll follow the building’s progress on this website- from the protection of the great crested newts and the technical challenges of the construction through to the colour scheme selected for each room; not to mention the regular blogs written by students.
Owain Johns Penny Castagnoli
Acting Headteacher Consultant Headteacher
Student ideas for interiors
Sunday, June 14th, 2009Year 9 students have been busy creating some interesting images in Google Sketch up.
Image gallery launched
Tuesday, June 9th, 2009Latest architects images are now live on the site. Click here
Soil Samples taken
Friday, March 20th, 2009Today work commenced on taking a range of soil samples to ensure that delays won’t occur when construction starts. Tests results will be ready in a month.
Plans for LRC refurbishment launched
Friday, March 20th, 2009We are pleased to announce the plans for the refurbishment of the LRC. (more…)
Power cables
Friday, March 20th, 2009Working from original plans contractors were again on site today locating service cables, a tricky process and one that requires patience, one false dig and the school and local community could have been plunged into darkness !