SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS
Sectional Modular Buildings Providing Ideal Spaces for SEND T
hose working in SEND and SEMH report that a timber frame building using natural materials, with floor to ceiling windows and doors, also providing easy access to the outdoors with covered walkways provide a particularly suitable environment.
Firstly, each building can be architect designed with specific needs in mind. Small rooms can be included for breakout spaces while treatment rooms and sensory rooms can be easily accommodated, as can accessible toilets, ramps and kitchens. The natural materials and excellent acoustics provide calming spaces which have a significant and positive impact on student and staff well-being.
Two recent projects have seen the provision of a building to connect to a SEND garden at Chichester College which provides further and higher education, and a multi-purpose building at Mountfield Heath SEMH School for students aged 5-11 with complex and challenging needs.
We asked Executive Head at Mountfield Heath, Lyndsey Jefferies about how the building is working for her staff and students. “The first thing is it feels lovely. It feels very bright and airy and because we are in quite a rural area it really is in keeping with the woodland, the trees and the fields. It doesn’t look out of place with our environment. The natural materials change the feel of it and I think for a modular build it feels really solid and robust. The other thing is all the rooms have got lots of light, but there
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has been careful consideration about it. The kitchen area is a long galley with floor to ceiling windows that maximise the natural light.
The height of the ceilings is another massive plus. Often the ceilings in modular builds are very low so you feel very enclosed, but our ceilings are of a really good height which gives a feeling of space. A lot of our children suffer from sensory processing issues and so the lighting and the feel of a space are very important, as are the acoustics. The acoustics in our building are very good. Although many modular builds are very echoey ours is not because of the ceiling tiles which are different to the rest of the school. We also have adaptive ventilation, due to our concerns about Covid, and air conditioning which are also great. The insulation is phenomenal and the building heats up very quickly then holds the heat. It’s very efficient.
What works very well are the verandas. Having the decking coming straight off the front, that indoor/outdoor space works very well with our children. TG Escapes took full consideration of the school environment and maintained excellent communication.” Robert Kay, Director of Estates at Chichester College says “TG Escapes provide a real ‘turn key’ solution, and take care of everything, from design to planning and final installation.”
The benefits of modular construction Modular construction systems are generally cheaper, quicker and lower in energy use than traditional methods. There are two types of
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modular construction used in the education sector.
Volumetric modular is when whole cabins are factory built and transported to site as finished units on lorries. Sectional modular is when the components are factory manufactured, batched up and transported to site where the sections (frames, walls, flooring etc) are pieced together.
Both have their advantages. Volumetric tends to take the shortest time onsite but can be restrictive in terms of design and interior layout. Sectional modular has more design flexibility and less site access issues. Both systems can be used in a confined space which can be self-contained so education can continue on the school site. Importantly, the fabric of these building types are highly air tight and therefore energy efficient. Some modular providers offer a complete design and build service which brings the additional benefit of a single point of contact reducing the risk of communication issues between designers and constructors.
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