Oakgrove School, Milton Keynes
Synopsis: external cedar cladding system (including tilt/turn windows, curtain walling, external doors and glazing) to 3 phases of a new school
Approximate Contract Values: £2,400,000 for first phase, £1,100,000 for 2nd phase, £2,100,000 for 3rd phase
Main Contractors: SDC for 1st phase, ROK for 2nd & 3rd
Architect: Architecture MK
Wood Newton Limited carried out the design, supply and installation of external cladding system to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd phases of a major new 1500-place secondary school and community sports facility in Milton Keynes.
The system comprises of Western Red Cedar boarding fixed to our composite panel system with an integral Western Red Cedar tilt/turn window. Our total project value on the first phase was £2.4 million and we were a nominated sub-contractor appointed by Milton Keynes Council, with SDC as main contractor. Our design basically uses the structural steel frame as primary support and we were responsible for all items to form the external envelope. The main design criterion was to provide a sustainable system with good energy efficiency to reduce power consumption and consequently greenhouse gases. This system gave a U-value of 0.24W/m2K and our purchase and recording procedures contributed to the project achieving an overall “excellent” BREEAM rating.
On the first phase we installed 35km of Western Red Cedar boarding, integrated with 317 opening sashes. Our 11m high by 8m wide Western Red Cedar framed curtain walling to the Main Staircase is an impressive feature with complex arrangements of timber transoms and mullions, with interspersed electrically operated sashes. The interior face of all external walls is un-finished birch plywood.
We successfully completed the £1.1 million 2nd phase continued with the same system. This time with a 14m wide Western Red Cedar framed curtain walling to each side of the dining room, one side being 8.4m high, the other 4.0m high. The use of bright blue and orange Rockpanel as an external cladding was more prominent this time, although there was still 10km of Western Red Cedar Boarding.
We completed the £2.2million 3rd phase in July 2007. The scheme matched the initial phases, with 24km of Western Red Cedar Boarding, 270 opening sashes within the 199 window sets and 1,400m2 of Rockpanel to walls and soffits.
The school’s design has been short listed for Society of Chief Architects in Local Authorities (SCALA) Civic Building of the Year Award 2007.
Links to Related Websites:
BREEAM
www.breeam.org
SCALA Civic Building of the Year Competition, 2007
www.scala.org.uk
Oakgrove School
www.architecturemk.com
