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King Edward VI School, New Auditorium

Southampton

A complex vertical and horizontal extension of an existing building to create a new state-of-the art auditorium and performance space.

Project

The customer’s brief was to decommission the existing art studios and classrooms and construct a new auditorium, larger art studios and an atrium, right in the heart of the school. The scheme also involved refurbishing the Sixth Form social spaces and a new entrance and exhibition area.

The existing brick-clad two-storey structure was stripped back to a bare frame and then extended both vertically and horizontally to create the new cantilevered theatre. The surrounding school spaces remained in use throughout the build process, ultimately being remodeled to provide a public reception area and back of house space to serve the theatre.

The art rooms on the ground floor were completely remodeled to provide open, light-filled spaces with a fully glazed view of the school’s open space.

Beard collaborated extensively with the design team, offering extensive value-engineering and access to specialist subcontractors. This included reconfiguration of the high-level ductwork in the theatre which optimised sight-lines and created space for the acoustic deflectors.

Right from the start we all all knew what a very tricky job it was likely to be. I cannot praise you and your team enough. The quality is excellent and I think the school have a great building in no small part down to the contractor as evidenced by great finishes and a limited snagging exercise.
Dominic Morse
Morse Webb Architects

Key Facts:

  • Beard was able to save the client £90,000 from the original cost plan by redesigning the approach to weatherproofing
  • Vertical and horizontal extension of the existing building
  • 435m2 additional floor space created housing a multi-function auditorium and exhibition area
  • Post project start the client asked for the programme to be adjusted to open the art room 3 months earlier than planned - this was achieved and an art exhibition set up in the unfinished building to accommodate the client’s wishes
  • Two stage Design and Build project

Challenges:

The bus transporting the pupils into the school had to come through the site compound.

The site was in the heart of the school which made noise management key during the key exam period.

For the project to be a success it was critical to achieve excellent acoustics.

The old theatre roof needed to be removed to enable the project to commence and the school kept watertight, insulated and construction noise minimised.

Completing the art room some 3 months ahead of schedule and facilitating the art exhibition whilst the project was in progress.

Fact File

£3.2 million Contract Value 56 weeks Contract Duration
Customer King Edward VI School
Architect Morse Webb Architects
Quantity Surveyor RJ Consulting
Form of Contract JCT With Quantities
A good and solid service delivery, very attuned to the requirements of the school.
Neal Baker, Bursar

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