Projects
Education
Llandysul Super School
Llandysul Super School is a flagship education scheme for Wales. It is the largest building ever commissioned by Ceredigion County Council and one of the biggest projects for the main contractor, Willmott Dixon Wales.
As the county’s second ‘all-through’ school, Llandysul Super School takes children from infantsright through to sixth form. The new development delivers facilities for both the students and local community, offering 700 secondary places for 11 – 18 year olds and 400 primary places from 3 – 11 year olds, whilst also providing nursery accommodation, leisure and fitness facilities, adult education provision and ample parking.
Working with main contractor, Willmott Dixon and installer M&P Group, EOS provided the structural framing systems for the school.
Key Data
Architect:
Powell Dobso
Client:
Ceredigion County Council
Engineer:
Cambria Consulting
Main Contractor:
Willmott Dixon
Installer/EOS Client:
M&P Group
Steel Framing System Supplier:
EOS
Materials / Type of System:
Stud & Track
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
The build involves the construction of a new two storey 11,200m2 facility with the core structure component being steel frame, provided by EOS.
The design of the school has incorporated many sustainable solutions including photo voltaic panels to use the sunlight to generate heat and light to help create an energy self-sufficient school. The new super school is a merger of five schools onto a single site, replacing Ysgol Dyffryn Teifi, Aberbanc, Coedybryn, Llandysul, and Pontsian. By integrating the five schools, the new educational facility will also create huge efficiencies in comparison to the current arrangement.
Neal Stephens, managing director at Willmott Dixon in Wales, said: “Since the Welsh Government released the 21st Century Schools Programme, we are seeing a radically different approach to education provision in Llandysul which is being emulated across Wales. Schools are favouring more open learning spaces and ‘all through’ school provision for students.
EOS INVOLVEMENT
The overall scheme is valued at £34.5 million – with the structural steel element, delivered by EOS, representing an investment of £76,000.
Speed was a key driver for the project. EOS ensured the building was weathertight early in the development schedule, to remove external cladding from the critical path. EOS exploited offsite manufacturing techniques to minimise onsite variability by ensuring that materials were cut to length, labelled, colour coded and bundled by floor and elevation, in factory controlled conditions– offering substantial programme savings.
The design of the school involved complex oversail details to achieve large spans (circa 8m) whilst forming lintel details. The parapets also included varying steelwork details to fix to and varying stud heights all over the scheme. EOS overcame the challenges detailed above by utilising extremely effective communication between the SFS installer (M&P Group) and the EOS design team. Furthermore, EOS used advanced 3D design and a wide range of ancillary products which were custom manufactured above and beyond the standard range of SFS.
POSITIVE OUTCOMES
Llandysul Super School will serve both the students and local community in Ceredigion for many years to come – providing real value to the region. EOS are pleased to have played a vital role in the creation of the school and to have value engineered an efficient light gauge steel solution, within budget and within the set timescale. It is scheduled to be completed for the 2016/17 academic year.