The Royal Grammar School aspires to excellence in every area of the curriculum. Many past pupils have achieved international honours in sport, including former England cricket captain Bob Willis.
Beard won the contract to construct the school's new sports facility following a competitive tender.
Opened by Princess Alexandra on 4 November 2004, the new building comprises an underground car park, a multi-functional sports hall, fitness studio, changing rooms, equipment stores, offices, a drama studio with double ceiling height, and flexible accommodation arranged over two floors for a variety of uses such as examinations and cadet corps meetings. There are also plant rooms, maintenance workshops, stores and ancillary rooms.
The building is constructed over a steel frame. The underground car park is formed from reinforced concrete, and the walls above ground level are of traditional brick and stone. Radius glazing and a waveform copper roof complete the building's striking contemporary 'look'.
The project also included the construction of a floodlit 3,000 square metre synthetic turf sports pitch and cricket wickets, and the creation of an underground 25-metre MoD-licensed rifle range, a tractor store and storage spaces. The Beard team was also responsible for creating a new car park, playground and landscaped woodland area, and a footbridge connecting the sports pitch with the main sports building.
Challenges and solutions
Site access and vehicle and plant circulation were difficult. The busy town centre site, had only one access road and provided little free space outside the footprint of the building. To ensure the safe and efficient arrival and departure of vehicles, Beard employed traffic marshals as part of a comprehensive site traffic management system. The team also connected a series of warning lights to the school's fire alarm system so that the access road could be quickly evacuated during an emergency.
The construction site was potentially a site of archaeological interest. The Beard team enabled members of the local archaeological society to observe the excavation works in case any artefacts were found.
"Simon Barker and his team at Beard have shown a keen professional approach throughout the project to achieving the high standards expected by the school."
