DavidBallGroup

Sponsored by the City of London and KPMG (www.kpmg.com), the 1140-pupil Academy is a striking and inspirational educational facility which employed a thoroughly integrated sustainable strategy. It was delivered on time and to budget by a fully partnered team led by the City of London Surveyors, architects Studio E (www.studioe.co.uk) and the contractor, Willmott Dixon. 

While meeting the challenges of a tight construction schedule and complex, split site, the project involved an exemplary programme of ‘young client’ engagement supported by the Sorrell Foundation (www.thesorrellfoundation.com). The Foundation’s initiative, ‘joinedupdesignforschools’, seeks to improve good design and the quality of life in schools by listening to the voices of pupils – the real consumers of education.

A team of pupils from four local schools acted as clients on the City Academy project (www.thecityacademy.org), creating a Pupils’ Brief for the architects, Studio E, detailing what the new secondary school should be like. The pupil clients attended regular meetings and site visits and were closely engaged with the development throughout the build.

 As a result, the project was the winner of the Innovation in Student Engagement Award at the Excellence in BSF Awards (2009). It also won the BCSE Awards’ Inspiring Design, Academy 2010, while Studio E Architects were honoured with School Architect of the Year in the same awards.

Hackney’s Academy has also earnt a Green Apple Environmental Award, and CIBSE Low Carbon Performance Award (New Build of the Year), as well as being shortlisted for numerous other awards.

The building is woven through clusters of mature existing trees in what the architects describe as a ‘colourful glassy school ribbon’. 

A strong sustainable approach was employed to reconcile design aspirations, site issues and environmental performance, achieving a BREEAM rating just short of excellent (www.breeam.org).

The design includes passive environmental measures that rely on maximum catchment of daylight and natural ventilation. A glass secondary façade helps to reduce the impact of noise generated by heavy traffic along the street frontage. 

Striking and contemporary, the design is also sensitive to the adjacent architectural vernacular of the Clapton Square Conservation Area and grade II listed Sutton House across Homerton High Street.

Principles of close cooperation and building excellence are evident throughout, starting with the groundworks and concrete superstructure.

Willmott Dixon (www.willmottdixongroup.co.uk) appointed Toureen Mangan (www.toureenmangan.co.uk) to carry out the £4.5M multi-disciplinary package of ground works, which included installation of the concrete basement and fast-tracked RC frame. 

Toureen Mangan’s ability to undertake and coordinate key specialist activities in-house enabled the project to be completed four weeks ahead of schedule. 

Concrete works included pile caps and ground beams, a four-storey RC frame with first floor link bridge, plus basement slabs, ground floor slabs and elevated slabs totalling approx 1400m².

PUDLO concrete waterproofing admixture, used in basement concrete, played a crucial role in fast-tracking construction.

PUDLO provides integral, membrane-free waterproofing of concrete through three important mechanisms. It lines and fills pores, and also alters the micro-structure of concrete to provide significantly increased factors of both waterproofing and strength. 

Waterproofing is therefore an intrinsic feature of the concrete, with no need to cut, fit and seal membranes. This eliminates a complete stage of construction and the attendant issues of coordinating other trades safely around the slab while protecting completed areas of membrane from the risk of damage.

“At least three weeks was saved on the 32 week programme by using PUDLO,” said Pat Guilfoyle, Toureen Mangan’s contract manager.

PUDLO worked closely with Toureen Mangan to ensure smooth, successful progression of the basement waterproofing, inspecting critical stages of the concrete design and application, from the mix to post-cure.

“We have used PUDLO on many of our projects over the years,” said Mr Guilfoyle. “We put forward PUDLO as an alternative to other waterproofing specifications to assist in the value engineering of schemes.”

Based on a long and successful track record of using PUDLO enhanced concrete, Toureen Mangan knows that it will provide long term water-tight performance and structural integrity while offering cost-efficiencies. The company also knows when it moves on from a job that leak-free performance of completed structures will be assured by PUDLO’s industry-leading, insurance-backed guarantee.