Morgan Sindall Construction has completed the £7.6m Castleward Spencer Academy, a primary school in Derby city centre which will provide the area with vital additional school capacity
The completion of the new school supports Derby City Council’s major £100m housing-led regeneration of the Castleward area.
After being appointed in June 2020, construction work started two months later and finished last month on schedule, with 315 pupils entering the classrooms from this September, as well as 39 nursery children.
The main contractor was appointed by Derby City Council via SCAPE.
Through the SCAPE Construction framework, Morgan Sindall Construction and Lungfish Architects have facilitated the rapid design and construction of a multitude of successful education projects since it was launched in February 2018.
Designed by Lungfish Architects, the school project necessitated significant innovation and close collaboration during the pre-construction phase to ensure the constrained inner-city brownfield car park site, measuring just 5,200 sqm, was used to maximum effect.
As a result, the new school building, which is a combination of one and two-storey blocks, has innovative rooftop play areas with two-metre-high parapets to keep children safe.
This approach to design allows for the school to achieve more outdoor recreational space than the site would have traditionally allowed; it also has a multi-purpose games facility for active play.
Inside the school, space has again been maximised with ground floor classrooms accessed from the main hall at its centre which has a full height lightwell to bring in natural light to the heart of the building.
Folding and sliding doors in the main hall also offer flexible use of space which can be quickly changed for a variety of uses.
Delivered through a collaborative approach
Rob Cant, SCAPE framework director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “Derby’s new Castleward Spencer Academy has been delivered through a truly collaborative approach with both Derby City Council and Lungfish Architects via SCAPE, and it had to be in order to deliver the project on time.
“Any delay to the project would have put the city council’s wider regeneration in jeopardy which involves further significant schemes on adjacent sites.
“We are very proud that we have finished the project to our usual high standards and on schedule and that is a testament to the excellent co-operation and understanding between all parties from start to finish.”
Craig Taylor, director at Lungfish Architects, added: “The wealth of natural light at Castleward plays a pivotal role in helping the children feel more connected to the outside, and it is aided by the use of colours that emulate the feeling of nature and gives cognitive benefits.
“The ground floor will include a feature floor that creates the appearance of looking up into a tree canopy, and acoustic panels in the hall keep the space feeling as open and comfortable as possible whilst reducing sound reverberation.”
