23rd Sep 2008 – Foremans Completes Phase Two of Primary School Extension – And its 9th Contract for Leeds City Council

Foremans Relocatable Building Systems, UK's largest supplier of pre-owned modular buildings, has completed construction of a new extension at Harehills Primary School – its ninth building project for Leeds City Council.

The scheme for Education Leeds was delivered in two phases to meet the school’s accommodation requirements.  It provides an additional 210 places at the school ahead of the new academic year in September, bringing the total capacity to 630 pupils to meet the growing population in the area.

The two-storey modular building was fully refurbished and fitted out to accommodate nine general classrooms and one IT suite, toilets and a lift.  It has been partially clad in timber to help integrate it with the surrounding residential area and both phases were craned into position during school holidays to minimise any disruption to teaching.

Commenting on the project, Derek Vest, Education Officer at Education Leeds, said, “Foremans only supplies quality pre-owned modular buildings, such as Portakabin and Yorkon products, which are tried and tested.  And because the modules are fully refurbished, it is very difficult to tell the finished building from new.” 

“The approach gives us the quality of accommodation we need for schools in the area and to a tight budget.   Other benefits include reduced construction time, less disruption to teaching, and because the buildings we use are recycled, it is very sustainable.  This type of construction also lends itself to constrained sites such as Harehills, where there is little space for heavy plant, equipment and storage of building materials.” 

“The Foremans team is well organised, professional and have a well established supply chain to offer a full package of construction services.” 

Head teacher of Harehills Primary School , Lesley Dolben, said, “This is a fantastic new building.  Foremans have worked well with us, were sensitive to our needs, and their project management team was excellent. The construction has not impeded the running of the school in any way, and we are very pleased with the classrooms which are great in terms of size and usability.  They are light and airy and very pleasant to work in.  The building feels substantial and not at all relocatable, and is significantly better than the accommodation we had previously.

Since the completion of the project at Harehills, Foremans has been awarded another contract for Education Leeds to provide a four-classroom extension at Crossley Street Primary School .  This permanent single-storey building will be finished in brick cladding and will adjoin the existing school.

In addition to its environmental benefits, the Foremans approach to recycling and refurbishing pre-used modular buildings can help reduce programme times by up to 70 per cent compared to new build, improves site safety and is more cost-effective. All refurbished Portakabin buildings supplied by Foremans comply with Building Regulations, and have the reassurance of a groundbreaking warranty package – a modular industry first.

Foremans modular buildings are suitable for a wide range of applications in the education sector, including school extensions, classroom blocks, offices, dining facilities, lecture theatres, pre-school nurseries and laboratories.

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