News
04/04/2007 – Yorkon Awarded Contract for New Nursery at York College
Off-site construction specialist and Portakabin subsidiary, Yorkon – winner of the Innovator of the Year Award – has been appointed to build a new nursery at York College in a £650,000 contract for Balfour Beatty Construction.
Designed by Bond Bryan Architects, the scheme is part of a £60m development programme at the college – one of the biggest building projects of its kind in the UK.
The nursery will be ready for occupation for the start of the 2007/8 academic year and will be handed over by Yorkon after only 13 weeks on site. It will have a bespoke design to complement the new landmark college building currently under construction. Features include cedar cladding, render and brickwork, and a striking fully glazed entrance.
Commenting on Yorkon’s appointment, John Cowie, Assistant Design Co-ordinator at Balfour Beatty, said, "Off-site construction is bringing a number of important benefits to this project. Because of the scale of the redevelopment programme currently underway, we needed to occupy the full site area for as long as possible."
"The Yorkon approach allowed us to continue to use the nursery site for a longer period and yet still guarantee completion of the new facility for the start of the academic year in September. It is also minimising disruption to our other construction operations, which is a key issue on such a busy site."
The new nursery will provide a range of facilities including playrooms, kitchens, staff room, office accommodation and a training room.
Off-site construction involves the manufacture of steel-framed modules in a controlled factory environment whilst the foundation works are completed on site. The modules are delivered to site where they are craned into position in just a few days ready for fitting out, reducing programme times by up to 50 per cent.
The Yorkon modular approach is also a highly sustainable method of construction. It offers enhanced thermal efficiency to reduce running costs and carbon emissions; less materials waste; fewer vehicle movements to site; lower energy consumption in the building process, and improved site safety.
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