ISG Jackson has commenced work on an £575K project to extend facilities at the highly regarded FitzWimarc School in Rayleigh, Essex. Occupying an underused area of the school grounds, the contractor will build a new two-storey structure to house a dance/drama studio, as well as an ICT suite and meeting room.  

The FitzWimarc School was judged to be Outstanding by Ofsted and has recently become a Maths and Computing Specialist College, having previously been a Language College. The new facility will not only provide an additional, purpose-built ICT suite but also enable the school to further develop its dance and drama teaching credentials.  

Built into a sloping site, the new building features a composite structural frame comprising concrete, steel and timber elements. The ground floor, which is recessed into the slope, will house the ICT suite and a meeting room, whilst the new studio, storage area and welfare facilities are located at first floor level. Externally, the building will be clad in insulated timber panels with extensive areas of glazing to maximise the amount of natural light entering into the structure. The project is scheduled for completion in February 2011.

 Stuart Talbot, divisional director of ISG Jackson Special Projects, commented: “Early contractor involvement in complex and logistically challenging schemes is extremely beneficial to help identify buildability issues, recognise areas where potential efficiency savings can be made and to gain an important understanding of key client considerations. Working collaboratively with the FitzWimarc School, from the very outset of the project, has led to the development of an efficient, workable programme, which we are confident will deliver an outstanding new learning resource.”