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Taking the renting option
BERTRAND QUENOT, MD AT ELLIOTT, EXPLAINS WHY MORE SCHOOLS ARE OPTING FOR RENTABLE CLASSROOMS
Why the interest in rentable classrooms? The population bulge, increase in birth rates and raising of leaving
age to 17 from 2013 and again to 18 in 2015 have all created an acute shortage of school places. The National Audit Office has already warned that an extra 256,000 school places will be required in England and Wales by 2014.
What are the benefits of rentable classrooms? Principally they are much more cost effective than a conventionally built classroom and therefore provide a method of tackling this shortage of school places. Combined with this is the speed at which a new classroom can be ready for teaching - within weeks in most cases.
How long are typical rental agreements? These vary depending on the supplier. However, many schools like the classrooms so much that they are still being rented over 10 years after we supplied them.
What is the lead time once we order a rentable classroom? Timescales vary depending on complexity and size of project. However, a typical rental schedule from preparing groundwork through to craning the classroom into position and handing over takes only a few weeks.
What about the environmental benefits? Rentable classrooms, because of their construction, delivery and installation methods, are a superb environmental choice, with much less embedded carbon compared to traditional build. Being a lightweight construction method also means that fewer foundations materials are required, which have high embodied energy content.
How much does it cost to rent a classroom? Typical rental rates are from as litle as £156 per week based on a two-year rental period.
CASE STUDY
Somerset school goes off-site
Off-site construction proved an efficient and sustainable way of building a new primary school
PROMOTION: ELLIOT T
FACIL ITIES | 31
TOP & ABOVE: Oake & Bradford School - a modern, energy-efficient facility T
he new 600sqm Oake and Bradford Community Primary School in Somerset was
built using Elliot’s specialised permanent building system. This offers all the benefits of off-site construction whilst creating a modern, energy-efficient teaching facility for the school’s 58 pupils. Oake and Bradford Community Primary School is the fourth educational project that Elliot has completed in quick succession for Somerset County Council, illustrating how specifiers in the sector quickly grasp the benefits of modern, hybrid construction systems. Off-site was specified by West Somerset Council because it was able to meet the demanding 26-week schedule set by the school as well as demonstrating the best value for money, both key performance indicators set by the authority and government. The approach of winter meant they had to set strict timescales for completion of the work. The new school, which consists of five classrooms, along with a new headmaster’s office, reception area and toilets, was completed
four weeks ahead of schedule. The specialised building system from Elliot also met the government’s requirement for ever more stringent legislation around sustainability. In the case of Oake and Bradford school the completed building achieved a BREEAM ‘Very good’ rating and, indeed, it would be relatively straightforward to build a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ school using the system. The government has stated that
it wants to speed up construction of school buildings partly because of the acute shortage of places and the fact that many projects have suffered from expensive delays. Last winter was a typical case in point where severe weather resulted in lengthy delays on many conventional sites, an issue that is avoided when off-site construction is specified. Ultimately, delivering buildings on time and to budget will require careful specification of building systems. Many will find that off-site systems, which combine the benefits of conventional build with modern methods of construction, are the only way forward. iE
For more information on Elliot: W:
www.elliotuk.com T: 0800 085 8231 | E:
construction@elliotuk.com
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