SCAPE project to bring much-needed school places to community

Oak Grange Primary School, a SCAPE project in Derby, recently celebrated its topping out milestone, following the completion of the external structure and roof.

A ceremony took place to mark the progress made on the new school and it is now on track to open in September, ready for the new academic year.

SCAPE, in collaboration with its partner, Morgan Sindall Construction, started work on the Oak Grange project last August after it was procured via the SCAPE Regional Construction Framework.

The school is being built within the Snelsmoor Grange housing developments, The Meadows and Holbrook Grange. As well as the new development at Fellow Lands Way in Chellaston, the addition of 990 new homes is creating demand for primary school places in the area.

Lungfish Architects, part of the SCAPE Group, also designed the school to be in keeping with its agricultural surroundings whilst Morgan Sindall worked collaboratively to deliver its vision. This was achieved by prioritising the building’s elevations, with massing and roof lines identifying three key gabled ‘barns’ that are connected by glazed links, providing daylit corridors and connections to the natural world within the core of the school. The rural vernacular is also reflected by utilising metal cladding, timber and render external cladding, with deep window reveals and feature windows.

Within the local area, 40% of spend was within 20 miles and 14.78 tonnes of carbon dioxide was saved through alternative construction methods; this is the equivalent of heating five homes annually.