York's Portakabin marks major milestone with ‘top out’ of £44m school campus

The topping out of the £44m Riverside Campus, the UK’s largest ever off-site education project, has taken place.

The York-based Portakabin Group is constructing the three-school campus for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham using a Yorkon off-site solution.

Topping out is a tradition in the construction industry to bestow good luck on the new building when a structure reaches its advanced stages.

Portakabin has just craned the last of 387 modules into position on the Riverside site. To mark this significant milestone in the project, a steel beam was signed by school children, construction workers and dignitaries, and will later be lifted and secured into the roof of the atrium.

The 23,000sqm Riverside Campus will accommodate 2,645 children from 0-19 years, integrating provision for nursery, primary, special needs, secondary, and sixth form pupils.

The Portakabin Group is the main contractor for the project, which is funded by the Department for Education.

The scheme is the seventh contract awarded to Portakabin by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. The £44m Riverside scheme is one of the largest education developments now under construction in the UK.

The use of a Yorkon off-site solution has significantly reduced the programme time for earlier completion of the campus. This approach to construction allowed the structure to be manufactured in York at the same time as the major ground works were progressed on site.

Simon Ambler, director of Portakabin, said: “We have today reached another important milestone in this fantastic project. We are absolutely delighted with the progress since the groundbreaking just a few months ago, which is a credit to everyone involved.

“We are on target and looking forward to the completion of the primary and special educational needs schools in September, followed by the secondary school next year. This campus will provide an outstanding environment for children to flourish and enjoy their learning activities for many generations to come.”

Councillor Evelyn Carpenter, cabinet member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement at the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Council, added: “I have been very impressed with the speed with which the project has progressed using a Portakabin solution, and in barely six months, we have gone from ground breaking at the campus to seeing the last modules craned into place.

“Young people will now benefit from an aspirational learning environment and inspirational teaching to ensure they are well educated and realise their dreams.”

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