Thursday 29 July 2010
With the works on site entering the final weeks, the Contractor is very busy putting the finishing touches to the building. Decorations are largely complete throughout, and the electrical installation, heating and plumbing works are being snagged. The servery has been fitted and the hall is now ready for the specialist sub-contractors for the stage sound and lighting to begin their
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Thursday 22 July 2010
For the benefit of the assembled journalists, Deputy Head Sarah Watson places the final paving block for the main entrance of Huish Sixth as one of her last actions at the school, ably assisted by Head Teacher Graham Roff and Project Architect Julia Humphries. Also present are Colin Ayres and Simon Lawrence from R G Spiller Limited, Project Manager Mark Richmond,
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Thursday 15 July 2010
As the construction works to the Huish Sixth building near completion, the contractor’s temporary lighting is being removed and the new light fittings are being turned on for the first time. The pipework is being filled with water so that the sinks and toilets will function properly. Glazed balustrades have been fitted to the balconies in place of the contractor’s safety barriers, and
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Tuesday 15 June 2010
In the Science extension, pin boards have now been fixed to the walls, the furniture has been arranged, shelving put up and surfaces cleaned. The yellow pipes you can see contain the gas supply for the laboratories. Break glass points and fire escape signs are in place, and only the smart boards and white boards remain to be fitted.
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Friday 28 May 2010
All the scaffolding is down and the building name has now been fitted outside the main entrance in stainless steel ‘HUISH SIXTH’. This is an exciting time as it is a reminder that the building work is coming towards the end of the contract. But there is still a lot of work to do and inside the building activity is high.
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Thursday 29 April 2010
The final coat of red render has been applied to the main entrance and this striking colour definitely draws attention to the entrance. Everyone seems to like the colour. The scaffolding has dropped from the upper block and soffits and external lighting are now being installed. It is a pity that the weather has become wet again...
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Thursday 15 April 2010
The Easter break is the ideal time to start the dining room extension on site whilst the school is closed and the students are away. Temporary screens have been erected internally so that work can progress safely outside. The terrace has been demolished and the existing foundations exposed ready for inspection by the structural engineer...
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Thursday 25 March 2010
The scaffolding is gradually being dropped from the first floor of the upper sixth form block as the cedar cladding is completed. At external ground floor level you will see that the external render system has now commenced. The external wall is firstly enveloped with insulation boards and then the render applied.
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Friday 26 February 2010
Students and teachers got a glimpse of the new sixth form building today when the contractor gave a tour of the building. Inside the building the walls are erected and first fix services installed, so the layout of the building is now very clear as you walk around. The internal partitions are metal stud partitions which allows them to be built quickly and then sound insulated...
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Friday 29 January 2010
The gutters to the sixth form building have been tested and, with no leaks, the profiled bullnose eaves are now being fitted. The profiled eaves conceal the gutters around the edge of the roof and form a neat profile to the roof of the building. In this photograph you can also see the sun pipes on the roof that will bring natural light deep into the centre of the building.
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Friday 15 January 2010
Happy New Year!
While the school has been shut because of heavy snow for most of the first week of term, the builder has tried to keep the site open; only closing for a day or so. The heavy snow and low temperatures have affected progress for the science extension, which still needs its masonry completed...
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Thursday 17 December 2009
Over the last month lots has been happening... As soon as the primary steel frame was fire proofed the lightweight steel frame followed closely behind and is being erected between the main steel frame. The whole structure is being covered by a cement fibre board that is taped ready for the waterproof layer and insulation that will cover the whole external envelope of the building.
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Thursday 19 November 2009
The steel decking is being laid onto the primary steel structure to form the decking for the roofs of the new sixth form block. The decking comes in large profiled sheets and on windy days it is difficult to handle these sheets safely. Let’s hope that we do not have too many days of strong winds.
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Thursday 22 October 2009
All the steel work is on site and being completed to both the new sixth form building and the science extension. While the steelwork to Phase 2 Lower block is being erected, the reinforcement is being laid for the concrete ground bearing slab to the upper block. These will reinforce the ground floor slab over ground that has clay in it.
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Wednesday 07 October 2009
An important focus for the design team has been to make sure that the new buildings make appropriate use of energy-efficient technologies. This is intended to make the buildings cheaper to run, and to reduce their predicted carbon emissions, which involves extracting energy from a renewable source instead of from fossil fuels such as gas, coal or oil.
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Thursday 24 September 2009
The Phase 1 steel frame, for the upper block of the new sixth form, arrived on site on Wednesday 16 September and is now nearly completed. You can see the circular columns that support the canopy over the main entrance and the curved steels of the double height lobby area. The majority of the frame will be concealed within the fabric of the building.
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Wednesday 09 September 2009
The main contractor has worked incredibly hard during the school’s summer holiday period and has completed the car park works in time for all school coaches, staff and visitor vehicles to enter the site on the first day of the school’s autumn term. Temporary barriers were erected to allow the coaches to drop off students safely...
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Thursday 27 August 2009
Work is progressing well on site and, with the good weather that we are currently experiencing, the new car park should be completed in time for the students returning to school for their autumn term. The new wearing course (the final top layer) is being laid and the car parking bays can then be marked out so that staff and visitors are able to park on the site.
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Thursday 13 August 2009
If you have passed the school during the summer holiday period you will have noticed a lot of activity along the front of the school. Trenches for underground services and drainage are being dug and some of the pipes are being laid. A new temporary car park has been created for staff and visitors, for use during the construction of the new sixth form building...
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