Delivered services
Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The project involved a major extension to Coláiste Éamonn Rís and a significant extension to the CBS Primary School, linking the buildings together, with alterations and upgrading of the existing school buildings to provide sustainable buildings for the future. A large portion of the existing Secondary School was demolished and the new extension wraps around the remainder of the building to provide a strong sense of character on Thomas Street. The new extension accommodates a special needs unit, 15 mainstream classrooms, a general purpose hall, a music and drama room, a lecture room, a library, science laboratories, group rooms, religion, social studies, maths rooms, construction and technical graphics, multimedia, business/computer room, offices, staff room and ancillary accommodation. The extension to the CBS Primary School links two separate buildings with a new general-purpose hall, multi-purpose room and offices to provide a clear sense of identity with easy orientation and wayfinding. A new stand-alone PE hall was also constructed. The vehicular entrance to Coláiste Éamonn Rís was improved and a new vehicular entrance was provided to the primary school.
PROJECT COMPLEXITIES
Both schools remained live throughout the construction period. A single-storey prefabricated temporary accommodation building with 19 classrooms, offices, toilets and ancillary spaces was provided for the duration of the construction works, reduced to 12 classrooms for the latter stages of the works. Particular attention was paid to the safe access of pedestrians. New set-down areas for cars and buses were created directly outside the schools on Thomas Street. A School Travel Plan was prepared to accompany the application to Wexford County Council for planning permission. Unforeseen ground conditions discovered during construction mean that the substructure for part of the new extensions had to be piled, with a quick turnaround required from the Engineer to mitigate against delays.
