A new primary and pre-school has been built at Chilton Leys in Stowmarket following the granting of planning permission to Suffolk County Council. The new 210 pupil primary school and 60 pupil pre-school provides sufficient school places for local children and helps support recent housing developments in the area.
Following community consultation, the school was named after Grace Cook (1877 – 1958), a pioneering astronomer who was born and lived in Stowmarket. She was one of the first group of women elected as Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society, and was a leading expert on meteors and comets.
The two-storey school comprises eight classrooms, a large hall and kitchen. The single-storey nursery consists of two main playrooms and a kitchen. Included within the development is a new football pitch, ball court and outdoor play areas, as well as covered bike shelters to encourage more children to cycle to school. The school has been designed to accommodate future expansion and meet population growth in the area.
Used products:
Rockpanel Metals
Creating a community hub in harmony with its surroundings
Concertus Design and Property Consultants were responsible for the project design. Their Senior Development Manager Emilie Farrimond said, “The new primary and pre-school will provide a modern fit for purpose learning environment for local children, as well as helping to ease pressure on local schools due to the expansion of housing in the area. Our design is focused on representing the schools’ surroundings within the colour choices and fabric of the building and creating a central community hub which will be both unique and aesthetically pleasing.”
Rockpanel “We were specified by architect Rob McQueen of Ipswich-based practice Concertus, who we have worked with many times. Around 500m2 of facades were installed at the school using a mixture of surface designs from the Rockpanel Elemental Metals range. These were Classic Gold and Steel. We were able to deliver the total order required in one go with the majority pre-cut to size.”
A contemporary mix of brick and Rockpanel elevations
The building has distinct blocks or areas delineated by the materials used. Brick elevations feature an attractive band of projecting brick headers between the storeys, which lines through perfectly with the Metals ‘Steel’ surface design panels used on other rainscreen-clad facades, which shimmer in the light, arranged in a stretcher bond pattern to echo the adjacent brick. A contemporary paired back aesthetic is achieved, further enhanced by the use of minimalist grey framed windows and doorways.
Contract Manager Jake Betts of main contractor R G Carter, commented, "We're extremely proud to have played a part in this exciting development. We would like to thank everyone involved for their hard work in delivering this creative learning environment and look forward to seeing the positive and lasting impact it will have on children, teachers, parents and the local community for many years to come."
Award winning A2O Cladding were responsible for installation of the external facades. A2O Pre-Construction Manager William Carter, “We were instructed to supply and install the support and panels for the Rockpanel rainscreen fixed back to a steel framing system. The project went well on quite a tight programme thanks to their short lead-in times. Using Rockpanel was a good experience, with most panels ordered to size and some full sheets supplied for on-site adjustment...”
Rock-solid creative freedom
The breadth of design options available across the Rockpanel ranges allow designers and specifiers complete creative freedom. The panels derive their unique properties from the core of stone wool used in the manufacturing process. Bonded with an organic binder it delivers a non-combustible facade which is virtually maintenance-free and insensitive to moisture and temperature changes. The facades at Grace Cook were treated with our specialist ProtectPlus coating to further protect them from the elements and ensure they look as good as the day they were installed for decades to come.
Headteacher Richard Dedicoat, "It has been an exciting journey working alongside R G Carter, Concertus and Suffolk County Council to finally open Grace Cook Primary School and Nursery. We aim to capture the interest and imagination of our pupils and inspire them to aim high, keep trying and never give up. Dream it, believe it, achieve it."
