Castle Tower Special School, Ballymena
- Client:NEELB
Property Service Division - Designer:Isherwood & Ellis Architects
- Status: Completed
Castle Tower Special School, Ballymena
Castle Tower was established in September 2007 following the amalgamation of three special schools in Ballymena. The construction which commenced in September 2015 of the 9,500m2 new build for the school included the provision of a hydrotherapy pool and medical and therapy rooms integrated into the design, rebound suite and sensory rooms, sports and fitness hall, climbing wall, therapy gardens, external play equipment and 3G synthetic pitch all of which offered the pupils facilities to promote their health and well-being.
Castle Tower School opened its doors to its 318 pupils at the start of the new school term on Wednesday 6 September 2017. The result is an outstanding facility which accommodates nursery, primary and post primary pupils with a range of needs. This new building is an incredible facility which will transform the education we can provide for our pupils, and allow the school to lead the way in the development of learning and teaching for young people with special educational needs. The creativity and attention to detail that has gone into Castle Tower is clearly evident, from the types of furniture in use, the playground equipment and the state of the art Wizefloorprojection system.
KEY FEATURES & BENEFITS
Great progress and quality were achieved throughout this project influenced by the following factors:
- Early engagement and appointment of supply chain members by the QS team
- Supply chain were appointed on experience and quality as well as price.
- Excellent leadership and management on site.
- Use of latest setting out survey and photographic equipment.
- BIM modelling was used to prevent clashes and solve detailing issues before they could impact works on site.
- Last planner planning system was introduced in the latter stages of the siteworks package to improve program delivery and certainty.
Our team also engaged with the design team to improve buildability of a number of details and put forward innovative construction methods i.e. insulated render systems over windows etc. which reduced cost and programme implications.
AWARDS
BREEAM Very Good Rating
RSUA Award Winner - RIBA Northern Ireland Award 2018
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Warmest Congratulations to the FOH team, the building looks super. It is a real testament to the quality and management skills evident throughout the project. We hope it brings you the credit you deserve and bears the fruit of future projects for FOH.
Isherwood & Ellis Architects - Arthur Sloan