April and spring is in the air...

School is taking on a new look now as the steel framework is boxed in and the windows start being fixed into place. Our friendly builder gave me some facts:

The inside, looking out, of the new theatre

The building has now started to be enclosed. Key items that are underway are:-

• Roofing works to the IWA block is virtually complete
• Roofing to the General teaching block has commenced
• External walling is progressing well
• Windows have been fitted to all elevations other than the main entrance
• Mechanical and Electrical services have started to be installed
• The lecture theatre cladding has commenced
• A number of the large diameter drains have been installed between Kings and Tettenhall
• We have installed a 700 cu m attenuation tank to control the future run off of surface water.
• Coupled with this we have fitted a petrol/oil interceptor to the main storm outfall sewer.
• Internal partitioning is underway with rooms now taking shape.
• On Tettenhall the foundations have been completed allowing the steel frame to start



Cladding for theatre

• We have also built the brick work on Tettenhall up to the level of the floor slab. This will allow the floor slab to be cast.

Work over the next few weeks include

• Forming new entrances off Regis Road
• Continuing with floor slabs and brickwork to Tettenhall
• Continuing with partitions to Kings
• Erecting the faith centre
• Instantiation of main service routes through the buildings and campus.
• Commencing construction of the energy centre.

School council get first look!

We have had no accidents so far and have worked virtually 60,000 hrs to date.

We have taken the School Council round the site and they were extremely interested asking lots of questions. We have helped out the local allotment holders with free topsoil and wood chippings.

So... we can see that a lot is happening albeit some might say it doesn't appear so! In the coming months when fitting out really gets under way less and less will be visible from outside but, hopefully, we will get some impressive internal shots and our first sight of the new building!

 
On a different note... I am going to ask staff and pupils, past and present, to forward anecdotes of the school. (Keep them clean) I intend to let people do it by email and then I can vet the posts first and hopefully we can have a page of memories that may mean something to some of you... here is the email address:
stories@kings-wton.co.uk


Finally, should we have a caption competition?

"I've had a hard day at the office dear!"

An aerial view of the school

Hi all,
I have just been given a very nice aerial photograpgh of the school taken on a clear day in January showing the extent of work being undertaken on this phase.

If you click on it you can see a larger clearer version...

March 2011 work progressess...

New Art Block

I can't believe a month has gone by already!
Last month, what with the construction of the theatre happening so quickly, made this last months progress appear to be at a snail's pace but, rest assured, work is going on really well. The weather has been somewhat kinder and the cold that stopped the concreting has abated and work has moved forward.

A Carillion spokesman kindly enlightened me as to what has been happening...

Old Coal Hole

"The main steel frame and floor planks are now complete. The lecture theatre steel has been built.  Structural topping has been laid to the majority of the floor planks. Brickwork is under way to the ground floor areas, and SFS (structural framing system) has been installed to the higher floors. The ground floor slab has been cast to the science block, and the art classrooms.
 Installation of windows is about to commence along with containment for cables etc.
 The electricity cables have been lowered to the new entrances in Regis Road.
 On Tettenhall (The New Special School) the foundations have been cast to 50% of the area.  Main drainage has commenced from the rear of phase 2 to the Tettenhall Side of the Denise Lewis Gym.
 The re-grading of the football pitches has been carried out using the excavated material from the main building. The wet weather has stopped the installation of the land drainage to the pitches though and is waiting on dryer weather...."

Last saw light of day in 1955

So... as you can see it has been all go!

My thanks to Carillion for the update and allowing me to photograph the site from afar! Sadly, the downside of the progress is that there are now less and less vantage points to take good photographs!

Until next month....
Moriarty...
P.s. Heres a timelapse video of the temporary classrooms being installed ...