Wood Clad Modular Building Classroom Block

See our timber wood clad modular building for Heymann Primary And Nursery School in Nottingham. We designed, manufactured and installed this 4-bay modular classroom block within an eight-week build programme. This included groundwork, drainage and offsite fabrication, followed by a complete onsite installation.

The school needed to accommodate extra pupils due to new houses in the area. So they approached us for their classroom extension. The new facility needed to match its natural environment while flexibly serving multiple adaptive educational requirements. And shade was urgently required to provide sun protection and cover for pupils at playtime.

Our brief was to deliver a building comprising one classroom with access to a unisex toilet, a storage space and a ‘green screen’ feature wall to allow the children to use the area for their artistic multi-media and video editing projects. It was also designed with a smaller meeting area for group sessions, a kitchenette and a second accessible WC area off the entrance lobby.

The Client’s Brief

We received some money through additional houses that were built in our catchment. We needed a building to accommodate the extra pupils. We wanted a building which could be used in a multi- purpose way and so needed spaces that could be used flexibly and also provide some shade for pupils at breaktimes as our school site has very little shade.

MPH listened right from the beginning of what we needed the space to be able to do. During COVID costs rose tremendously but MPH still wanted to deliver a building with as few compromises as possible and met our requirements. The result is the perfect space for us. It has two flexible work spaces, toilets and shade.

It was also important that the building blended with our environment and the wood cladding and render works really well.

We cannot fault the communication between MPH and ourselves. The site was kept organised, clean and tidy throughout ensuring that the build was kept safe and separated from the children. Meticulous planning went into craning the building on to the site and all was done safely. MPH also took on the responsibility of communicating with our neighbours when the craning was taking place and the disruption this would cause. All staff were approachable and professional, and any problems were resolved before they were even discussed. We have had several extentions to our building over the years but never have we worked with a company that have made it so easy. I would recommend MPH without reservation.

Head Teacher – Heymann Primary and Nursery School

Timber Cladding Building Programme Weeks 1-4

We completed the overall build programme within eight weeks, including groundworks, building fabrication/manufacture, site installation, rendering, wood cladding, and internal fittings.

The foundations, drainage and duct connections for incoming services were completed within the first three weeks. While the groundworks were underway, we manufactured the 4-bay prefabricated units within our factory and then delivered this ready for installation in week 4 of the modular build programme.

Timber Cladding Building Programme Weeks 4-8

Once the modules were safely transported from our workshop to the site, the 4 modular bays were lifted into position. Onsite, we constructed the modules and ensured that the final assembled building was watertight.

The second fix of electrical, heating and air conditioning installations began, with our incumbent fire, intruder and data contractors also making a start. Then we completed external cladding works, starting with an insulated render system. Next, the timber cladding was fitted while the internal fit-out of the building was underway.

The Wood Cladding Specification

The timber cladding we chose was open-jointed vertical timber rainscreen cladding, which is a Brunnea-treated PEFC-certified Scandinavian Redwood fitted over horizontally fixed counter battens. Because we used an open joint rainscreen, the module wall behind the counter battens had to be faced with a special breathable building membrane (DuPont™ Tyvek® UV Facade membrane) to prevent water ingress.

The render system is an insulated system, consisting of a 50mm rockwool backing/carrier board, which is fitted directly onto the membrane faced OSB external wall, and over which the pigmented and final render finish is applied.