Case Study – Project Dartmouth High School: Sports Hall

Dateline November 2007

Site
Sports Hall for Dartmouth High School, Great Barr, Birmingham

Overview
To provide a temporary sports hall of high quality for Dartmouth High School during construction of the new replacement Q3 Academy on site. As the site was designated as greenbelt the existing sports facilities had to be demolished to free up site area for the new building. Sports and examinations needed therefore to be housed in a temporary facility.

Issues to Overcome
The site was extremely tight to construct the hall, there were a number of inhabited teaching spaces adjacent to it and access was tight. Due to the greenbelt designation of the site, the Local Authority were keen to see a building that sat well within the landscape and had a feeling of quality. The Client was keen that the temporary building was seen to reflect the schools aspirations for the new academy building. It was important that the building was robust and complied with Sport England requirements for recreational play and in particular offered sufficient height for badminton. The building needed to be heated and lit sufficiently for examinations to be held during the interim period also.

Why relocatable?
Flexibility was a key requirement of the temporary sports hall. The client may wish to relocate the structure elsewhere on site at a later stage and also liked the idea that the hall had the potential to be sold on at a later date if no longer required. The temporary structure also offered the potential for VAT savings.

Results
• The hall is 35m x 20m and 9m high.
• The internal walls are finished with rebound boards offering a flush finish for 5-a-side play.
• The lighting complies with Sport England requirements and the ambirad heating is responsive enough for examinations to be housed in the space.

Client Endorsement
Installation went smoothly and to plan. The installation team offered a competent and professional service especially working in a sensitive school environment. The structure was erected to programme with minimum disruption to the client. We would be happy to consider the use of Useful Structures products in our future projects
Louise Sheridan
Associate, Ellis Williams Architects

We are delighted to be able to continue to offer quality sports provision in our transitional Sports Hall, during the build period for Q3 Academy. Useful Structures were able to construct the Sports Hall without any disruption to daily school life and within the agreed time period.

The staff and students are now looking forward to moving into their new facility which offers an excellent environment for continued skill development and team activities.
Caroline Badyal
Principal Designate: Q3 Academy, Dartmouth College, Walsall