The facts
Client: DCSF
Location: Lewisham, South East
London
Services: Project Management
Sector: Education
Project Value: £27m
Completion: 2007
The project
Knights Academy is an
independently-funded secondary school for a total of 1,350 pupils
in South East London.
The Academy provides the very best of
communal and educational facilities specialising in Sports Science.
Knights Academy forms part of the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation
of Academies sponsored jointly by the Department for Children,
Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Haberdashers' Livery
Company.
The project comprised three
phases:
The first phase
comprised the decanting, part demolition of Malory School,
refurbishment, asbestos removal and installation of temporary
accommodation. A proportion of the existing Malory school was
demolished and part retained and upgraded to allow for a temporary
school and sports hall for 620 pupils as part of the decanting
phase.
A further 170 (year 7 pupils) were
accommodated in a two storey temporary building installed within
the grounds of a nearby primary school. The already demolished
section of Malory School allowed for the new academy building to be
built, whilst the lessons continued in the retained facilities.
The second phase was
the design, procurement and construction of the 12,010sqm Academy.
The building encompassed three main parts; the Forum, Think Tank,
and Learning Curve.
The Forum is the main hub or ‘heart’
of the school and sits between the Think Tank and also the Learning
Curve. The Forum acts as the main entrance to the school and
provides an area for exhibitions, meetings and social
activities.
The Think Tank encloses the sports
hall and a number of music, ICT and technical classrooms and is
connected to the Learning Curve.
The Learning Curve houses the main
teaching spaces and is made up of three floors which run from north
to south, it is clad with an aluminium curtain wall system.
There is also a high provision of ICT,
enabling students to access the internet, educational networks, and
communicate in collaborative enterprises through the use of
portable and wireless PC tablets, desktops and laptops.
The third phase was
the demolition of the retained parts of Malory School, further
asbestos removal and the removal of the temporary accommodation
together with the building of the astro-turf pitches, external play
and car park areas. Overall completion was December 2007.
Whilst phases II and III were
occurring the conversion of the playing fields, opposite the school
into two full size grass pitches with a grass track was taking
place. This large area was designed to accommodate a variety of
outdoor sports.