Department of Education
Offsite construction of five schools
Sector: Education
Project: Five system-build schools for rapidly developing areas
Client: Department of Education
External finishes: A mixture of Nova Brick cladding and Tegral Pelicolour cladding
Contract value: €18 million
Our brief
The Department of Education initiated the System Build Schools in Rapidly Developing Areas programme to supply schools to areas in Ireland where there has been an increase in housing and population and subsequently a high demand for new schools.
The project involved the construction of five system-build schools to a high design spec and within a very tight deadline of just 25 weeks.
Our team
Extraspace Solutions partnered with Glasgiven Projects and tendered for this project as a Joint Venture Consortium. After an arduous and precise tender application we were selected to provide four eight-classroom schools and one 16-classroom school for the initiative.
Our designers are experts in CAD, and worked directly with the architect and the Department of Education to design the schools.
Glasgiven Contracts was responsible for the remainder of the external works, including roads, paths and play areas.
Our offsite solution
At Extraspace Solutions we are experts in offsite construction. This project involved the offsite manufacture of 240 structural steel framed modules, which were delivered to the various sites on a weekly basis.
One week after the modules had arrived on site, the electrical, mechanical and carpentry teams were able to begin their work, resulting in an extremely short on-site build time.
Once the modules were in place the next phase was floor insulation. We used super-quilt floor insulation covered over with plywood. The finish is Artoilium vinyl floor covering.
In the internal works phase, the timber studs were then bolted to the frame. As the walls were being studded, the electricians fitted the first electrics in the ceiling and walls. Insulation was then applied to the walls and was slabbed, finished with Fermacell plasterboard.
Benefits of offsite construction
Our team completed the five permanent primary schools, with a total footage of 74,000 square feet, on time and within budget. The entire fast-track construction process, from greenfield sites to complete educational facilities, was completed in just 25 weeks.
As Paul Tierney, Managing Director of Extraspace Solutions, explains: “The completion of these schools in traditional build would have taken a construction firm approximately 52 weeks. But by adopting a system build approach we were able to deliver the project in less than half that time.
“Offsite construction allows for massive time savings which could in essence change the future of the construction industry.”
Learn more
Contact Paul Tierney in Extraspace Solutions for more details on this project, telephone: +353 1 4673100
