Project Data
Principle Architect: Stride Treglown
Project Value: £38m
Main Contractor: Bowmer and Kirkland
Subcontractor: MFP LTD
Products used: Knauf Plasterboard, AQUAPANEL® Indoor, 50mm Acoustic C Stud, AQUAPANEL ®, MF Ceiling
West Coventry Academy, one of the government’s flagship net zero carbon in operation school projects utilised Knauf products, amongst them AQUAPANEL® and Performance Plasterboard, all of which were installed on a timber frame. The £38 million rebuild of West Coventry Academy includes an entirely new school building, sports centre, and outdoor sports pitches. Alongside a new main entrance on Tile Hill Lane. All with the intent of improving the secondary school and sixth form.
The work initially started with a three-year research journey by contractor Bowmer and Kirkland which enabled them to fully understand the Department for Education (DfE)'s requirements and how they could best achieve that.
Knauf products were used in the new swimming pool facilities with AQUAPANEL® playing a key role. Gavin Dungan, the Architect from Stride Treglown, explains why Knauf products were specified. “We decided to use AQUAPANEL® because it performs incredibly well in areas that experience high moisture. Its properties ensure that it is moisture and water resistant, and its excellent dimensional stability means it does not warp, swell, or degrade when exposed to high levels of humidity or direct water contact.”
“Additionally, because it is incredibly durable and can withstand impact, we won’t see any damage within the swimming pool area. This is ideal given how heavy the footfall is expected to be there. The swimming pool area will remain stable over a long period of time and thus maintenance and repair costs will be reduced over time.”
Further adding to the moisture resistance of the facility was the use of Knauf Moisture Panel. This was used in all the toilets and shower areas of the school and the swimming pool.
As Gavin explains: “Moisture panel was chosen because of its enhanced levels of moisture performance, ensuring mould growth is kept to a minimum, and preventing the interior from getting damp and rotting. This was incredibly important not only to ensure the safety of the school but also to keep the school as environmentally friendly as possible.”
Given the high traffic nature of the school, it was vital the interior was built to withstand the wear and tear of school life. Knauf Wallboard and Performance Plus were used in the corridors to maximise long term durability.
Dave Holbrook, Contracts Manager from Bowmer and Kirkland expanded upon this: “We had to take into consideration the impact that footfall from the pupils and teachers would have. Therefore, we went to high performance range knowing they would be much sturdier and up to the task.”
Another issue that Dave and his team had to consider was that the development of the full frame of the school, alongside its façade and internal walls, were all being built offsite before being craned into position.
Thankfully, when it came to technical and product advice, Knauf were quick to provide efficient solutions to keep the project going. “We would send them different wall types and buildups, and they would advise us on what types of boards to use in different places, as well as providing acoustic calculations and fire testing. Which gave us a good indication of which of their wall types would perform well in the scenario we needed.” Gavin explains.
Knauf also frequently visited the site to ensure installation was correct and advised on certain situations where needed.
With a handover date of summer 2023, the client has been nothing but complimentary about the work that has been done. And for Dave and subcontractor Bod from MFP Ltd the service offered by Knauf as well as the Knauf products used have been simply phenomenal.
Bod explains. “Knauf have been simply fantastic. They’ve ensured all the product was delivered on time and in the quantities we needed. Their support has been phenomenal as well, especially when we had a computer hack last year. They didn’t blink and made sure everything was still available for us to access.”
Dave concludes. “The support Knauf has provided has been amazing, add that to the fact that their products are so easy and efficient to use and we will definitely be using them again.”