Interior of the building / Source: Fleetwood Building Solutions
The first floor of the building has been innovatively designed for both the current educational needs and a potential future use as a library and education resource centre. The cost-effective refurbishment of the first floor extends the building’s useful life. This enhanced the project’s sustainability credentials beyond current best practice energy and operating cost control measures (e.g. the use of prefinished panel cladding which reduces ongoing school maintenance, eliminating the safety risks associated with working at heights during the project life.)
The project was procured through offsite construction because of the inability of traditional construction practices to deliver a cost-effective solution. Working with a significant government agency, Fleetwood Building Solutions validated prefabrication and modular construction with a pilot demonstration showcasing the high-quality design and built form outcomes that could be achieved. The adoption of a mass-customisation strategy yielded a cost-effective manufacturing platform approach, tailored to the project brief.
The final project outcome is an architecture without compromise that delivers a high calibre spatial experience which is fit for purpose. Modular construction allows for the harnessing of supply chain efficiencies, the maximising of local materials, and certainty and control over supply and material sources.
This project was completed in just 166 days and won First Place in MBI’s 2020 Awards of Distinction contest in the Education Under 10,000 Sq. Ft. category.
This article was adapted from an Awards of Distinction entry. Browse more projects.