UK INDUSTRY NEWS McAvoy Appointed for Orsett Heath Academy

McAvoy has been awarded a £37.5million project by the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver the new Orsett Heath Academy, part of the South West Essex Community Education Trust (SWECET) in Thurrock, Essex.

Commissioned by the Secretary of State for Education, McAvoy has embarked on the construction of a new 8,610sq m secondary school. With construction underway, the school will have the capacity for up to 1,200 pupils aged 11-16 in its three-storey accommodation. The new secondary school will showcase innovative internal design features including a double-height dining area, spaces for students to collaborate and share ideas, and a performing arts hub.

Externally, the brief includes extensive hard and soft landscaping, parking areas for cars and bicycles, outside lockers, playing fields and the installation of a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA). The project has been described as a ‘very exciting’ development for children and families in Thurrock and will replace the temporary accommodation where students are currently learning with a brand new, state-of-the-art secondary school.

McAvoy CEO, Ron Clarke said the awarding of the Orsett Heath Academy project reflected the confidence in offsite manufacturing as a preferred solution within the education sector.

“Our team has significant experience of delivering high-quality accommodation within the education sector to demanding programmes and we are delighted to be appointed for this major project by the Department for Education. We have invested heavily in our manufacturing and delivery infrastructure in recent years with a view to securing projects of this nature where sustainability, quality and delivery within budget and programme are essential.”

The new building will provide a much-needed permanent building and cater for the growing demand for secondary school places at Orsett Heath Academy. The school has a specialism in sports, the arts and a strong international approach to languages, and will remain in joint use with the interim site for educational and sports provision, creating a lasting legacy, enhancing education, sport and recreation as a ‘Thurrock Institute of Sport.’

Positioned in close proximity to the Thurrock Rugby Club and Thurrock Harriers Athletics Track, the academy is poised to strengthen its existing partnerships and will support the development of a thriving sports hub in Thurrock. The prime location will foster development pathways for pupils and the wider community at all levels.

Steve Munday, CEO of SWECET, added: “Our community, students and families have eagerly awaited this state-of-the-art facility that will allow us to continue to provide an exciting and ambitious ethos of high expectations and achievement to more students in our local area. We’re so pleased that building work is underway and would like to thank all those who have supported us in our community during this time.” Works started on-site in May 2023 with the school due to be completed in Summer 2024.

Source: www.mcavoygroup.com to deliver 3,360 additional prison places by 2023 at Fosse Way and the recently opened HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough. The £286million project will initially house 1,715 prisoners across a 16-acre site, with an additional cell block and ancillary building extension approved by Blaby District Council and Oadby and Wigston Borough Council last December, extending capacity further.

Leading independent property, construction, and infrastructure consultancy Pick Everard was appointed as lead designer for the project, providing architecture, interior design, civil engineering, building engineering, sustainability and energy, structural engineering, landscape architecture and interior design services. Its team has closely collaborated with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and prison operator Serco.

Tim Irons, Operations Director at Pick Everard, said:

“This is a multi-purpose, free-flow prison, that has been closely modelled on our baseline design of HMP Five Wells and will continue to be the blueprint for a further four newbuild prisons under the MoJ estate. The interior design has been closely considered, applying biophilic and salutogenic principles to support wellbeing and strengthen the identity of each space. It is a modern, sustainable custodial estate, working to BREEAM excellent standards, which, following its planned extension, will become one of the biggest prisons operating in the UK. We’re incredibly proud to deliver this exciting vision, which continues our long-standing relationship with the MoJ and the wider justice sector."

A brand-new category C resettlement prison has completed in Leicester, delivering more than 600 permanent jobs in the local area, with a core focus on prisoner rehabilitation through skills-based training and employment opportunities.

Using offsite manufacture, HMP Fosse Way, which was named following extensive consultation with the local community, forms part of a UK government plan

In total, seven houseblocks and six ancillary buildings come together under a vision from the MoJ to transform prisoner rehabilitation in the UK. Prisoners have access to a central services hub, which includes a gym, library, educational classrooms, faith halls, as well as workshops and external horticultural areas, with the potential for Serco to work closely with local employers to deliver on-the-job training opportunities.

HMP Fosse Way has been built on the old HMP Glen Parva site, a former young offenders’ institution that closed in 2017. Its design has included several sustainable considerations, with offsite construction maintaining product quality, whilst helping reduce capital and operational costs. In addition, air sourced heating powers elements within the northern compound, while solar panels have been installed on ancillary buildings.

Source: www.pickeverard.co.uk

Housing Forum Futures Network Unveils 8-stage Route Map

The Housing Forum Futures Network, comprising of individuals working across all parts of the housing and construction sector, have created and published the Route Map for New Home Delivery to map out how different organisations and activities can come together to deliver new homes.

The intended audience is everyone working across the housing sector – most of whom are familiar with only some of the stages of building new homes. For instance, architects can learn more about the manufacturing process, or planners can learn more about the process of managing housing after it is built. The aim was to produce a document that could be used as part of the induction process for people new to their companies and to provide everyone with a better understanding of how their role plays its part alongside other activities in the process of new home delivery.

Shelagh Grant, CEO of The Housing Forum, said: “I would like to thank The Futures Network and their mentors for their commitment and hard work in bringing the Route Map forward. Members of The Futures Network have contributed a broad perspective, coming from customer facing, legal, marketing and manufacturing backgrounds as well as a wide range of construction disciplines. At The Housing Forum, we know that quality and improvement in housing construction comes through partnering, working consistently and as a team, towards shared outcomes – just as the Route Map demonstrates.”

The process of delivering new homes has been split into eight ‘stages’ including project inception and commissioning, procurement, design, planning, pre-construction, manufacturing, construction and handover and post-occupancy and management.

So Sum Lee of the Futures Network and Consultant, Inner Circle Consulting added: “As a member of the Futures Network, I am excited to highlight the significance of the recently launched Route Map for New Home Development. This invaluable resource can serve as a comprehensive guide, covering every key stage of housing development, from project inception to post-occupancy. Our collective experiences and knowledge within the housing development process have been instrumental in creating this essential tool. By actively contributing to this project, we aim to support newcomers in the housing and construction sector by providing them with valuable insights and knowledge. Additionally, the Route Map extends the knowledge of existing professionals, empowering them to achieve successful outcomes in their housing development.”

Source: www.housingforum.org.uk