EC Harris puts Ealing primary school through makeover

EC Harris has completed a benchmark scheme at Southfield Primary School in Ealing as part of National School Environments Week, run by the British Council for School Environments (BCSE).

The consultant worked alongside architect and designer Alexi Marmot Associates and construction firm Wilmot Dixon to carry out the five-day makeover.

The scheme saw three key areas of the school transform to show how educational spaces can be changed to provide improved learning and teaching opportunities.

Peter Cobrin, senior education consultant at EC Harris, said: "We wanted to show that even the most unlikely space can be transformed with imagination into one in which teachers and children can enjoy learning.

"Not every school can have the luxury of a new-built environment and we want this project to be a showcase for what a low-cost intervention can achieve."

EC Harris produced a detailed design which Wilmot Dixon built off-site and re-assembled within three days so as to minimise impact on school life.

The art room in the 100-year-old building was transformed into a multi-use learning space with an ICT-rich mezzanine floor using the latest thin client technology.

Sustainable computing solutions provider Novus Technology, as well as Modular Cabling Systems, Hewlett Packard, Citrix, Microsoft and Computacenter Distribution, also contributed to the scheme.

All work was carried out for free and a detailed costing model will be made available for other schools as part of the upcoming Ealing Primary Capital Programme.