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Hummersknott School and Language College
The Hummersknott project is a £13.5 million traditionally procured contract to build new
accommodation for a secondary school and refurbish some existing areas built in 1954.
The project involves the construction of a new build entrance area, a science and technology centre and a creative arts facility, together with the refurbishment of existing classrooms, main hall and sports centre. Partial demolition of the school will allow the installation of new playgrounds and tennis courts together with new car parking and renewed drainage.
The design of the new build is sympathetic to the 1950s style of the existing buildings. The refurbishment includes externally insulating and rendering the existing building to help it tie in with the new designs. Ventilation panels are being used in the classroom areas instead of opening windows. These can be left open overnight to allow the thermal mass of the structure to cool, providing a more stable internal temperature throughout the day. The project design also includes a ground source heat pump and natural ventilation stacks for sustainability.
The building is set in beautiful grounds which we were careful to preserve, adhering to Tree Protection Orders, taking steps to work around the habitat of the Great Crested Newt (a protected species) and adhering to the principles of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) to ensure that nesting birds were protected. Because of this, Hummersknott has been a challenging project in many senses of the word, however we are forging ahead on site and anticipate completion before the commencement of the school year in 2009.