Award-winning project management and cost consultancy, Summers-Inman, has been appointed to two education projects in Newcastle on behalf of building consultancy and delivery partner for Newcastle City Council, Aura Newcastle Ltd (Aura).
The projects, won through competitive tender, were judged on value for money, quality and workmanship, effective management and social value. They form part of an ambitious programme of investment by Newcastle City Council in the education estate.
In the first case, Summers-Inman secured the role of quantity surveyor and principal designer on a project at Gosforth Park First School to increase the capacity of the school from 225 to 300 pupil places.
Gosforth Park First School, which is part of Gosforth Schools Trust, caters for pupils aged 4-9 years and also offers nursery provision with 52 part-time places.
The expansion will see the current school expanding into the adjoining former Broadway East First School site following the relocation of its pupils and teaching staff to a new school site at Newcastle Great Park.
The former Broadway East First School building will be remodelled and refurbished before occupation from September 2024.
The remodelling works to be undertaken include creating a new entrance, a lobby, a general office plus three additional offices, a group room, staff facilities and toilets together with a new staff car park and associated footpaths. Internally, the refurbishment works relate to existing classrooms in both schools as well as replacement windows, doors and roof finishing.
Newcastle City Council also wants to increase pupil places at Thomas Bewick School in West Denton. Thomas Bewick is a specialist school for pupils with autism aged 3 to 19 years and is part of the Prosper Learning Trust. This project will create new classrooms, learning spaces, dining facilities and therapy rooms for an additional 48 pupils at Thomas Bewick through renovation of part of the former All Saints school building on an adjacent site. This will help to meet the increased need for specialist places for children with autism.
On this project, Summers-Inman’s brief has expanded to include responsibility for project management, quantity surveying and principal designer roles with a similar schedule of remodelling and refurbishment works to those at Gosforth but on this occasion, with the addition of a PV array on the roof.
Commenting on the consultancy’s appointment, Summers-Inman associate director, Andy Rapmund, said:
“We have already worked on three primary schools with Aura and are pleased to be able to continue our working relationship with the Aura team following its appointment by Newcastle City Council to deliver several schools in the city as part of the first SLR Schools batch.
“These latest appointments allow us to draw on our expertise in the education sector to ensure the projects are delivered on time and to budget. If all goes according to plan, the Thomas Bewick School remodelling and refurbishment should be complete by November 2023 with Gosforth Park First School ready in time for the new academic year in September.”
Howard Davies Project Manager at Aura Newcastle Ltd said:
“The demand for school places across Newcastle has been growing in recent years.
“The local authority has a statutory duty to provide enough good school places for the children of the city and has been working with schools and trusts to create additional spaces, which is what we have been procured to do in this case.
“We are committed to delivering this work to programme and are pleased to be working again with Summers-Inman and the rest of our project team who are all highly experienced and competent.”
Both projects are at RIBA stage 3, reviewing the detailed designs to confirm costs prior to starting construction work.
Other members of the professional team include Space – architect, CK21 – Civil & Structural Engineer, JCP Consulting Engineers – MEP engineer, Apex – Acoustic Consultant.
