Modular Buildings case study: Walthamstow School for Girls
About the project
Work on replacing the original roof structure and finish at Walthamstow School for Girls was carried out from July to December 2020.
In addition to appointing a specialist roofing contractor through the Flat Roofing Framework (FR2), London Borough of Waltham Forest was tasked with finding temporary accommodation while the work was carried out.
They needed to provide temporary modular accommodation to replace five classrooms, two IT suites and two offices that would be inaccessible during the roof replacement.
Project key facts – at a glance:
Sector: Education
Client: London Borough of Waltham Forest, Waltham Town Hall, Forest Rd, London, E17 4JF
Contact: Gary Marchant, Senior Building Surveyor, NPS London Ltd
Contract value: £417,483
Contact period: 5 week installation, 26-week hire period
The partnership
London Borough of Waltham Forest needed a supplier, who could provide them with a turnkey service and the appropriate amount of space, within just seven days.
Fortunately, they quickly identified Portakabin as a supplier, that was able to do both and had already completed the full OJEU process, thanks to the LHC Modular Buildings (MB1) Framework.
Gary Marchant, from NPS, the consultancy firm currently responsible for procuring and managing the capital and maintenance work for London Borough of Waltham Forest, said: “The framework provided us with a pre-checked list of quality contractors to select from.
“Portakabin had the right sizes and numbers of modular buildings available and could meet the tight timescale. They were also a trusted name within the framework and wider market.”
Ben Payne, Regional Commercial Manager at Portakabin, who has been involved with six MB1 projects over the last 18 months, said: “MB1 is a great framework. It enables work to be delivered in a way that’s mutually agreeable for both the supplier and end user.
“LHC’s framework representatives are available to discuss the parameters of projects, which makes the entire process far more straightforward. This particular project was extremely collaborative, which enabled us to do what we do best; deliver on time and on budget.”
The solution
Portakabin provided London Borough of Waltham Forest with the temporary modular accommodation they needed. Without the modules, the school would not have been able to deliver its curriculum from the start of the autumn term.
“We were able to provide the units so quickly because our fleet of modular buildings is readily available across our network of Hire and Visitor Centres, which are located around the UK. Our central team in York monitors availability and schedules delivery from the location that’s best placed to meet the requirements,” explains Ben.
The modules took five weeks to install, were delivered on time and stayed in position for 26 weeks. During the installation phase, stormwater tanks were uncovered, which had to be bridged by large steels. The Portakabin team swiftly adapted its original foundation work plans to accommodate these tanks without any project delays.
