Building Briefs: GB completes first phase of school programme

STOCKPORT-based contractor GB Building Solutions has completed the first phase of a Building Schools for the Future contract at a secondary in Manchester.

The firm has finished a £1.5m kitchen and dining area at the 1,600-pupil Whalley Range High School.

It is part of a £17m revamp that will see GB also provide a new teaching block.

The new canteen area has doubled the capacity of students able to dine together. GB had the facility built off site and delivered as 26 prefabricated units.

Each unit was then slotted and bolted into place – a system that it said halved the time needed on site, minimising the disruption to the school.

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The external envelope of the mixed use Orange building at MediaCityUK has been completed.

The building, which was designed by the Manchester office of architecture practice Sheppard Robson, is based on a prominent position on the MediaCityUK waterfront. Its design was based on the concept of a ‘picture-window’, with an 11-storey high glazed wall on the south elevation looking out over the piazza onto the waterfront, providing a ‘framed’ focal point for both onlookers and occupiers of the building.

Four types of cladding were used to differentiate the separate elements of the building, such as the tower and podium, with fine graduations of colour creating depth and texture.  The most distinctive element of the build is the 3D diamond pattern on the main tower.  The cladding is made from folded aluminium, which creates a striking visual impact.

The University of Salford is the anchor tenant for the building, where more than 1,500 students will be studying from September 2011. The building also provides speculative office space for media tenants and a number of retail units.

Alex Solk, associate partner at Sheppard Robson and project architect of Orange, said: “It is fantastic to be involved in such an exciting new project for the region, and finally seeing the team’s visions turned into reality. 

“The building has had a dramatic effect on the skyline at Salford Quays. We look forward to continuing to work with developer Peel in the construction of the internal space and seeing the development come to fruition.”