What we did:
The design and construction of a new two storey school at Gorslas, Carmarthenshire for 240 pupils aged 4 to 11 years old including integral provision for an Early Years facility. The new building is situated on an alternative site to the existing school behind the village park. Some of the external areas will be used by the local community outside of school hours. The new building has been designed using a fabric first approach to energy efficiency and is constructed to the Passivhaus Standard achieving a BREEAM Excellent rating. The project involved the associated infrastructure, external works, drainage and further site undertakings. Improvement works to existing external areas were undertaken where affected by the project. The project achieved the Considerate Constructor Beyond Compliance Certificate.
Client:
Carmarthenshire County Council - South West Wales Regional Framework
Works Completed:
- Design and build of new school
- Associated services, including drainage and external fire sprinkler building
- A dedicated access route for staff, deliveries and drop off area for pupils
- Construction of new outdoor play areas and infrastructure works to include a Multi-Use Games Court (MUGA), full landscaping scheme, new playing field to FA Under 9’s standard, nature trail and adjacent enhanced habitat area
- External works, drainage and improvements
- Improvements to the existing community council car park and street lighting
Key things we had to consider:
Works commenced on site in March 2020 however, were shut down in April 2020 in the first Covid 19 lockdown. The site was re-mobilised on the 11th May, 2020. Despite the many challenges encountered across the construction industry because of COVID 19 all stakeholders involved in the project worked together to minimise the impact on the project during these unprecedented times. The site operational team including our supply chain teams worked tirelessly to ensure that delays were kept to a minimum and the project was completed in the Summer of 2022.
Building standards we worked to:
- Passivhaus Certification
- BREEAM Excellent Certification
- LABC (Local Authority Building Control)
The new facility:
- Meets the needs of the wider community
- Provides adequate indoor and outdoor space to deliver and enhance the Foundation Phase Curriculum and play opportunities for all pupils
- Meets current and future demands for pupil places at the school
- The school has been designed using the fabric first principles achieving Passivhaus Certification and a BREEAM Excellent rating
- The building will maintain energy efficiency with no need for bolt-on, complex renewable energy devices
- The building will achieve a guaranteed performance over its lifespan, with no need for additional maintenance
- The building will use less energy
- The staff and children will benefit from a simple, economical and easy-to-use building that requires minimal upkeep
- Where possible materials and services were sourced from the locality, developing a local supply chain that supported local employment and businesses as well as reducing travel to minimise the impact on the environment.
“Lloyd & Gravell has earned the respect of the community because of its actions and which it undertook because it genuinely wanted to support the community and not because it had to. People can tell, and appreciate, the difference.
Lloyd & Gravell has been an excellent ambassador for the County Council and for the construction industry in general. It has been proactive in engaging with the community and local organisations, in explaining what it was doing and there was always an invitation to come and talk about anything of concern or where an explanation might help. It also unwaveringly delivered on its promises.”
Lloyd & Gravell has been an excellent ambassador for the County Council and for the construction industry in general. It has been proactive in engaging with the community and local organisations, in explaining what it was doing and there was always an invitation to come and talk about anything of concern or where an explanation might help. It also unwaveringly delivered on its promises.”
Llew Thomas
/
Clerk to Gorslas Community Council