Yorkon News Archives
17/05/2005 – Yorkon Completes Second School Building Contract for South Lanarkshire Council
Portakabin subsidiary, Yorkon – winner of the Off-site Manufacturing Specialist of the Year award – has completed its second school building contract for South Lanarkshire Council.
A new 10-classroom primary school has been built in Rutherglen in just six months, for use as a decant facility. The project is part of a £400m primary schools modernisation programme that is underway to upgrade and improve every school in the region.
The £1.8m, three-storey school, which is presently occupied by St Columbkille's Primary School, accommodates general and infant classrooms, an IT suite, toilets and administrative offices. It is built on a constrained site between two existing schools, which will also be rebuilt as part of South Lanarkshire Council's modernisation programme.
Commenting on the scheme, Helen McShane, Headteacher of St Columbkille's Primary School, said, "We are delighted with our temporary facility. The classrooms and other accommodation are excellent. Both staff and pupils are very happy with it. The building is clean and bright with a good sense of space, and is such a welcome change from our old school which had reached the end of its life."
Keith Blanshard, Director and General Manager of Yorkon, said, "The use of off-site construction enabled the Council to achieve a faster build time and earlier occupation of the new school. The programme time is more certain with modular construction and is less likely to be affected by winter weather than traditional site-based building methods."
He added, "Off-site construction also brings less disruption and improved safety because the time on site is significantly reduced. This benefited the two adjacent schools and allowed the Council to utilise a very tight space for a 1,700sqm building."
The school building was manufactured off-site in York as 36 steel-framed modules and craned into position in just five days ready for fitting out internally.
This is Yorkon's second contract for South Lanarkshire Council. Last year, Yorkon completed construction of a new £5m primary school, which is believed to be the UK's first complete school to be built off-site. The 500-pupil, 16-classroom school and nursery in East Kilbride was ready for occupation just eight months after start on site.
Editor's Notes
- Yorkon's award-winning modular building system is an efficient alternative to traditional site-based construction, which saves time, guarantees quality and minimises disruption to existing operations.
- Yorkon has recently been voted Off-site Manufacturing Specialist of the Year at the Specialist Contractor Awards for the second consecutive year. The awards are organised in association with the Department of Trade and Industry.
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