School Canopy Case Study Rushey Mead Primary School Objective School Business Manager Wendy West, at Rushey Mead Primary School in Leicester, contacted Living Space regarding a covered play area and outdoor learning space for the children. This would help protect them from the weather and create a sheltered walkway between a number of classrooms. Free Site Survey & Detailed Quotation Our Surveyor went to site to establish a practical solution which would best meet their needs. He considered site specific details including positioning of doors and an access ramp which would define canopy leg positioning, before feeding information back for a quotation to be formulated. Detailed quotations were prepared which offered a choice of sizes and prices to allow the school to see what they could get for their budget. As Living Space canopies are bespoke structures, they can be fabricated to ensure an exact fit into each application. They can also be painted to any RAL shade to match the schools corporate colours. Rushey Mead School were happy with the quotation and an order was placed. The Challenge Living Space got to work straight away so the school's target date could be achieved. There were varying ground levels at the site meaning accurate fabrication and on site levelling would be crucial. There was also a particularly steep pitched roof with fall directly above the canopy area. In this instance our Structural Engineer advised raising the back height of the canopy and fitting a snow guard along the school roof eaves above the canopy area. All Living Space school canopies are individually assessed by a structural engineer in terms of their location to establish site specific wind and snow loadings. All design parameters are then checked to ensure they fall in line with these loadings to give complete peace of mind. Final design drawings and full structural calculations were then produced for the school to help with their planning and building control applications. The Solution In the case of Rushey Mead Primary the solution was a large 21.5m by 4m projection wall mounted canopy which covered the entire desired area with the minimum number of support posts. A white frame was chosen to complement the existing doors and windows on the building. An opal roof colour offered the ideal amount of shade and 98% effective UV protection whilst still allowing light into the classrooms. Padded post protectors were chosen in a bright shade of red, offering a cheery contrast. The 'Lean To' style of canopy is a particularly good option for a school with a tight budget, or for those who wish to cover the largest possible area for their spend. Design, Manufacture, Delivery Installation and Final Inspection Health & Safety All pre-qualification Health and Safety paperwork was forwarded to the school in advance to help them plan the project. Living Space are registered with CHAS (Construction Health & Safety Scheme) and have Constructionline membership which pre-qualifies us to government standards. These accreditations give peace of mind for a smooth installation of the canopy. Living Space liaised directly with the building inspector from the local authority in order that his on-site checks could be made. Installation The fitting team worked long hours to ensure the project was completed within the half term break, ensuring a minimum of disruption for the school. The team also fitted the snow guard before erecting the canopy. This allowed the school to get the whole job done by one team saving time and money by not employing an extra set of contractors. The 86 sqm canopy plus the snowguard were completed in just five days. Final Inspection & Quality Guarantee The Living Space Contracts Manager visited the site to carry out a final inspection and ensure that Rushey Mead School were delighted with their canopy and its installation. Living Space offer a Ten Year Guarantee with all of their school canopies giving the assurance that their high quality, robust canopy would give the school many benefits for years to come. Testimonial "Having sought several quotations, we found Living Space to offer the best, practical solution which was also good value for money. Living Space are a highly professional company with experienced and very friendly staff who involved me during the design stage, as well as offering support at the planning and building consent stage. This gave me complete confidence in knowing that the design specification was suitable and that construction would meet our deadline. The construction was carried out by a team of professional fitters who managed the feat of a full installation in five days! The final result is stunning and has really enhanced our Foundation Stage play area. I would recommend Living Space to anybody who is considering such a project." Wendy West, Business Manager Rushey Mead Primary School
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