Member Article

Demolition clears the way for new Academy building in Selsdon

The £16m rebuild of The Quest Academy – Coloma Trust in South Croydon has been brought a step closer following the demolition of the sports halls adjacent to the existing school building.

Contractor, Wates Construction, welcomed the Academy’s Principal, Andy Crofts and a number of students on site to view the demolition and watch the site being cleared to make way for the new 900-pupil capacity Academy building.

Construction of the new facility will soon commence alongside the existing school building, which will also be demolished upon completion of the work. Taking its place will be a state-of-the-art athletics track with auditorium and landscaped green space.

The project will also accommodate a 215-capacity Sixth Form and new community facilities for Monks Hill Sports Centre. Completion of the building works is scheduled for the new academic year in September 2014 following a build programme of just 59 weeks.

Richard Shroll, business unit director for Wates Construction in London and Kent, commented: “We were delighted to welcome the staff and students onto site as we begin the first stage in the creation of their brand new Academy building. Demolition of the existing sports halls as well as the link bridge to the old school building will clear the site for the new facility enabling us to commence construction promptly in the next few weeks.”

Andy Crofts, Principal of The Quest Academy – Coloma Trust, added: “It’s been great to see such quick progress to date and we’re all looking forward to seeing the new building come into form over the next few months. Our students had a great experience being up close to the demolition, especially when the remainder of the building literally roared to the ground! Needless to say, we are eagerly awaiting moving the Academy into the new building in just over a year’s time.”

The Quest Academy – Coloma Trust, opened as an Academy on 1st September 2010 and is overseen by Academy Sponsors, The Coloma Trust.

Designed by CPMG Architects, the rebuild project is utilising Wates’ innovative Adapt school building model, which can facilitate a 21% reduction in build programme and cost savings on average of 23% against a typical BSF school building.

The project, which formed part of the government’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, was procured via the Education Funding Agency (EFA) Contractors’ Framework. The new building has been jointly funded by the EFA (£14.5m) and Croydon Council (£1.7m).

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Christina Stocks .