New school moves step closer
CONTRACTOR APPOINTED FOR KEPIER’S £12M FACILITY
A new secondary school on Wearside has moved a step closer.
A preferred contractor has been chosen for Kepier, in Houghton.
The school will be built by BAM Construction, which was chosen as the preferred bidder by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).
The £12million design was created by Ryder Architecture, with a finalised design set to be worked on by BAM’s specialist teams.
Construction will begin early next year.
Kepier principal Nicky Cooper: “Our community deserves an inspirational learning environment. We are extremely excited about the new building, which will provide us with facilities to match the needs of a 21st century education.”
The school will showcase learning at Kepier, with the Learning Resource Centre positioned at the heart of it.
BAM project director Tony Fitzgerald said: “What we sought to do is listen carefully and understand the requirements and aspirations for Kepier, to ensure we provide a high quality and effi- cient design solution to meet their needs, but also provide the ESFA with value for money.
“Our experience in the education sector is second to none, and BAM’s collaborative culture is always a very helpful resource when working on education buildings.
“The learning environment is holistic. That means we get to engage with the people who will ultimately use the building and their communities and create opportunities for them and not just a finished building.”
BAM has built extensively in Newcastle and the North East, including for major universities.