Ashe Construction has been awarded a £12m design & build contract to construct an extension at Bedford Academy for Bedford Borough Council.
The 60-week project will see 16 state-of-the-art classrooms constructed along with changing rooms, dining area and community café. The building will be highly efficient and has been designed to be Net Zero Carbon in Operation.
Located on Mile Road in the town, there are currently 1350 pupils on the role and the new facilities will accommodate 300 new pupils as part of phased growth to 1800 pupils by 2029, making it one of the largest secondary schools in Bedford.
The extension, designed by GSS Architecture, will provide multi-use spaces making it extremely versatile so it can be used as a community hub outside of school learning hours. Community users include football, basketball and badminton clubs, faith groups and dance schools. Individuals can also hire the facilities for their own use.
With so many community users, a flexible, multi-use space including kitchen, dining hall and community café with Wi-Fi will be open to parents and visitors during evening and weekend activities providing space for 300 people in one sitting.
The building will operate to high efficiency levels and U Values must be stringent with no heat loss through the façade of the building. The school will be powered by photo voltaic panels installed on the roof to create as much renewable energy as possible, and air source heat pumps will generate the energy for heating.
To create a comfortable environment in classrooms, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery units will be installed in ceiling voids which will be attached to louvres in the façade to enable air to flow in and out. Heat from the air source heat pumps will be recovered and used to warm the returning air in the colder months. In the summer there will be a night purge of hot air through windows to allow excess heat created during the day to be released, all to make the ideal environment for learning.
Pick Everard is project managing the scheme, which is expected to be completed in August 2025 in time for the new school year.
The project has been procured through the SCAPE Framework.
