When Marden Primary, part of Leigh Academies Trust, set out to replace its undersized kitchen and dining facilities and move teaching out of temporary accommodation, the project already had an approved design. TG Escapes Modular Eco-Buildings were able to work in close partnership with the Trust to take the consent forward, preserving the architectural intent agreed with the local authority. Using their proven offsite construction system, they were also able to meet rigorous programme, cost control and performance parameters.
The brief The existing dining hall at Marden Primary could no longer seat the school in a single sitting, so lunches were being served in waves. TG Escapes translated the approved proposal into its MMC panelised timber frame solution and secured an amended consent from Maidstone Borough Council that retained the original design rationale. Under a single turnkey contract, TG Escapes acted as principal designer, principal
contractor and project manager, coordinating planning, building regulations approval, specialist consultants, groundworks, utilities, landscaping and handover. For the school, this meant one point of accountability from design The brief demanded a multi-functional,
modern learning hub accommodating both Primary and Early Years (EYFS) teaching spaces, along with an integrated commercial kitchen and dedicated dining hall. All to be delivered without disrupting term-time learning. The result is a showcase for how
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and biophilic design principles can transform campus capacity, student
The challenge: Growing roles, complex spatial demands As Leigh Academy Marden expanded to support its growing local community, pressure on its existing core infrastructure escalated. Serving both Early Years and Key
Stage 1 primary education requires distinct pedagogical environments, while meal service was stretching existing dining hall provisions beyond capacity. Combining vibrant classroom environments with a commercial kitchen and high-footfall dining hall within a single footprint requires rigorous and meticulous site planning. Traditional brick-and-mortar
procurement presented unacceptable drawbacks: lengthy construction residential rural roads, and intrusive noise and dust directly adjacent to active teaching blocks.
The solution: Offsite precision and biophilic engineering TG Escapes approached the project with a timber frame design engineered construction, the building envelope was manufactured offsite under stringent factory-controlled quality standards. Key architectural and operational
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
