BSF News

What’s been going on.

You will have probably noticed real changes at the back of the College this week as we have started erection of the steel frame to the new building. The first section to be erected is the wing containing the MFL, Learning support, Music, English and Maths classrooms. This section also includes the lift that gives access to all levels within the new building.

The precast concrete lift shaft was erected first and then the steel frame installed around it. Once the steel has been lined and leveled the column bases will be grouted and the precast staircases installed to provide access for our contractor to install the metal decking on which the raised floor slabs will be cast.

The demolition of the hall has been completed this week and the removal of foundations is now being completed.

Our contractor is also completing the works to ensure that the walls and roof which have been opened to the elements as a result of the demolition are completely watertight.

We have already sealed all the cut edges of the roof and we are now fixing a plywood fascia to cover the surfaces of the existing beams exposed by the removal of the ceiling. These will then be covered by roofing felt bonded to the existing roof to provide a watertight seal.

The water pipes to the dance and drama block have been diverted from between the existing hall beams. This allowed the completion of the demolition and the waterproofing works to this elevation can now be completed.

As the pipes are now in an external environment they have been lagged to prevent any risk of freezing in winter.

We have now started the earthworks and foundations to section 2. This is the part of the new building that includes the Dance/Drama Auditoria and the New LRC.

As the ground floor slab level needs to tie in with the existing sports hall the ground level outside the existing IT classrooms needs to be built up.

To protect the existing building from the forces from the fill material and construction traffic we are creating a temporary retaining wall using pre-cast concrete blocks in front of the existing building.

Once the fill in these areas has been placed, the foundations and drainage for the new building will be installed. This work will be completed over the next two weeks, to allow steel erection to progress.

Elsewhere we are now installing our site CCTV security cameras.

These are set up so that any breach of our site perimeter outside College hours is immediately recorded and an alarm raised at our monitoring station so that police and security can be notified.

During College hours the cameras are set in fixed mode away from the College and the access route used to the sports pitches so that there are no privacy issues for you.

We have arranged that the College have access to all the images being recorded so that our system can be used to supplement the existing College security system.

Now that the storage shed has been moved from the side of the existing sub-station. United Utilities have access to return and complete their work to transfer power to your new classrooms from a generator to mains electric.

The new meter for this supply is due to be installed this weekend.

Coming soon.

• New School Earthworks & Foundations

  Works will continue to complete the remaining building foundations and drainage. This work involves excavators and wagons to transport stone, soil and concrete to and from the site. These produce the engine noise and reverse warning sounds that you have probably become familiar with from the similar works that we have been carrying out around your College since February. This activity should be completed by the end of the month.

• Erection of Structural Steelwork

  Structural Steel erection will continue until the end of June. This work involves a crane lifting steel to erectors who use Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPs) to access the steel at high level and bolt it together. Other than the general engine noise, there is intermittent noise involved in this operation from the reverse warnings on the MEWPs and the rattle of the electric socket guns used to bolt up the steel.

• Metal decking to the upper floor slabs.

  By the end of next week section 1 steelwork will be completed. Nets can then be suspended below the steelwork to provide a safe working system for the steel deck layers. They will fit profiled metal deck sheets between the beams to provide a surface on which the raised concrete floor slabs can be constructed. This activity can produce intermittent noise from: the guns used to fix the sheets to the steel; the metal cutting discs needed to cut sheets to fit the gaps between beams; and the metal studs that are welded through the sheets onto the beams to provide a connection between the concrete slabs and the steel frame. The activity is relatively short in duration one floor of each section can be decked out ready for preparation for concrete in 1 week. These works will continue intermittently until the summer holidays.

Regards,
John England – Carillion Project Manager