Armadale Academy
Armadale
DESCRIPTION:
The new Armadale Academy was one of two new schools constructed under the West Lothian PFI procurement programme. The new school was built on the existing school site and provides teaching facilities for twelve hundred pupils.
The new school is situated at the top of the site and is exposed to strong winds which resulted in the teaching blocks being formed around a courtyard, providing sheltered outdoor space for pupils. The school also provides a four court games hall, dance studio, fitness room, swimming pool, full size all-weather synthetic pitch and outdoor changing facility.
INVOLVEMENT:
Civil and structural design including underground drainage and football pitches. The structural form of the building comprised a structural steel frame with the suspended floors being constructed using insitu concrete on metal decking permanent formwork. The substructure comprised reinforced concrete pad foundations and strip foundations bearing on the natural occurring load bearing soil strata.
CHALLENGES:
The topography of the site resulted in access roads at maximum gradient in order to avoid excessive excavation that would have been taken off site. Strategic positioning of the football pitches on the existing slope was required to achieve a cut/fill balance.
BENEFITS TO CLIENT:
High quality school facility greatly improved from the previous school building, improving quality of life in the local area.
