On site now: Huish Episcopi School Keep up to date with what is happening on site.
Friday 26 February 2010
Students and Teachers Get a Glimpse 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 and clad with fibre cement board. Fibre cement boarding is much stronger than plasterboard and remains stable when wet. Because it does not require plastering this ‘dry’ method of construction helps to speed up the building process.
The electrical installation is also underway with the wires for the lights and plug sockets being installed in the wall and ceiling cavities. This is called the first fix electrical. The second fix is when they install the switch and socket plates to the finished wall. All the services are exposed at the moment, so the complexity of the integration of services is very evident when you walk around. You may have noticed that the external windows are also being fitted. The large window to the hall, facing the mathematics classrooms, will have a brise soleil to shade the window from direct sunlight and which is hinged to allow access for cleaning. The other south facing first floor windows have solar glass fitted to reduce solar gain and glare to the first floor rooms.
The external scaffold is now coming down, helping you to appreciate the scale of the building from the outside and exposing the western red cedar cladding to the first floor. This will turn silver as the weather affects it. This is a natural process and the silver layer provides a level of natural protection so that it does not require painting. This cladding provides a rain screen to the building; it is not a water tight layer and any water that passes the cladding will drain down behind.
The science extension is progressing well, now that the building is weather tight. You may remember that it was the science building that suffered during the wet weather, but now that the roof is on and the internal block work has dried sufficiently, the internal plastering is now taking place. What’s happening next? Over the next few weeks you will see:
• The external windows and doors being fitted to both sixth form and science • The bridge link progressing • The render being applied
