education

Sure Start Initiative, Birmingham 

Our Birmingham Architectural team were appointed by Turner & Townsend Project Management, on behalf of Birmingham City Council to develop various projects under the Sure Start Initiative. The schemes comprised the extension or refurbishment of existing facilities through to new build on six separate educational sites.

The schemes are developed as part of the Sure Start Government Program that works to increase the availability of childcare, improve health and emotional development for young children and support parents in their aspirations towards employment. The Sure Start programme focuses on development and improvements in disadvantaged areas in association with Local Authorities.

Our role included, not only obtaining planning permission and preparing detailed working drawing packages, but also keeping an eye on the quality of workmanship on site. With contract sums ranging from £60,000-£785,000 the projects were particularly challenging as all projects were constructed during term time, where inquisitive minds watched on during the construction process.

The variation of building projects range from the provision of a new 'welcome' entrance to Bells Farm Primary School, the reorganisation of an existing church hall to provide child facilities at Gospel Oak, the provision of health care facilities to existing Primrose Hill, Cape Street and Anderton Park Children's Centres, through to a 460m2 new build project at Albert Bradbeer Primary School, to provide a Sure Start facility to support the existing facilities on the site.

Modular construction was used for the larger projects to reduce both construction time and operatives on very restrictive, busy sites.

Client: Birmingham City Council 

Contract Period: Commenced 2008 – each project approx 4 months

Value: Ranging from £100,000-£400,000

Services: Architect