Ysgol Y Graig Primary School, Llangefni, Anglesey

Size of project:£3.7m
Type of project: New school
Demonstration themes: Sustainability
Contract: JCT Standard Building Contract 2005 comprising two-stage selection, including quality, H&S and financial.

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Team:

  • Client: Education Department, Anglesey County Council
    Main contractor: Wynne Construction
  • Designer: Gareth Thomas Architectural Services Manager, Anglesey County Council
  • Other: Capital Symonds (structural design), Chandler KBS (cost consultants), Framewise (timber frame)

The Demonstration 

The Ysgol Y Graig team set themselves an ambitious target of building a benchmark ‘green school’ to set the standard for future Anglesey schools, with drastically reduced running costs and an innovative design. They wanted to achieve this using a teamwork approach, involving the contractor early in the process and ensuring that the customer remained engaged throughout the project.

The Delivery

The existing primary school has been relocated from a busy industrial estate to a greenfield site on the outskirts of Llangefni. The school is within walking or cycling distance for the majority of the children, dramatically reducing the number of car journeys at school start and finishing times. A direct footpath link to the nearby housing estate provides a safe route to school for the children.

The new primary school is a landmark development in both design and construction. The main contractor, Wynne Construction, was appointed early on, which ensured that planning and implementation ran smoothly and efficiently from the start. The procurement procedure was in two stages, the first based on quality and price, the second comprising a preferred bidder consultation period.

The innovative design includes an array of environmentally-friendly features, with materials sourced locally wherever possible. The timber frame structure, for example, was selected for its sustainable properties and includes a variety of natural external finishes such as cedar cladding, stone render and stone gabions. The gabions are filled with locally sourced stonework. Much of the roof is finished with a layer of sedum to provide a natural habitat for plants and insects.

Other sustainable features include photovoltaic roof panels and a ‘quiet revolution’ wind turbine. Electricity generated on site will be used to power the school, with any surplus units being sold back to the grid. It is estimated that the total output of the renewables will provide 49% of the school’s annual consumption. There is also a plan to introduce ponds, woodlands and bat/bird boxes within the existing trees surrounding the site.

The team succeeded in establishing a good working relationship from the start. One example of the way this benefited the project is the design of the school’s foundations. In an effort to avoid deep strip foundations through made-up ground with an uncertain depth of excavation, the team jointly devised an alternative method based on a ‘raft’ solution. This removed many uncertainties and costs and helped ensure the project remained on budget and on schedule. Opportunities to reduce waste and make efficiencies were seized wherever possible. For example, the timber-framed panels were manufactured in Presteigne, Mid Wales, and delivered to site, where they were erected in just 12 weeks. This saved valuable time and avoided the creation of waste on site.

Commenting on the strengths of the teamwork approach, Chris Wynne of Wynne Construction said:

‘From the start of the preferred bidder stage, a very good working relationship developed between the whole team… Effective communication directly contributed to the success of the project in terms of quality, cost and delivery’