Vertical Market: Education

Case Study: St Marylebone School

Mechanical and electrical expertise from Admiral helps Bouygues deliver £17m school project ahead of schedule.

"In a build project of this scale there are bound to be hiccups. Whilst other companies might have hidden behind contractual excuses, Admiral simply knuckled down and got the job done. They were brilliant. They worked incredibly hard to make the building work."
Stuart Smith, St Marylebone School

Moving into new purpose-built premises has dramatically improved facilities at St Marylebone School and enabled the school to expand its intake. The partnership forged between Westminster Council, lead contractor Bouygues UK and mechanical and electrical subcontractor Admiral, meant the £17 million project was delivered ahead of schedule, minimising disruption for pupils and enabling the school to take early advantage of the new facilities.

St Marylebone School is a large and successful state secondary school located on two sites close to Regents Park in London. The school, which provides education for around 1000 girls, aged from 11 to 18, has an excellent reputation and is regularly over-subscribed. Refurbishment of the main building and the provision of a new-build facility at nearby Blandford Street are helping the school raise standards and increase pupil numbers.

The purpose-built four-storey teaching centre on Blandford Street opened its doors to students in September 2009, virtually a whole school year ahead of the original schedule. The stylish new facility, which caters mainly for older pupils, aged from 14 to 19, provides a modern and flexible teaching environment which supports the school’s specialism in Performing Arts, Mathematics and Computing.

Funded as part of Westminster Council’s £152 million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative, the new-build project was delivered in partnership with Bouygues UK. Following a rigorous tender process, Admiral was subcontracted by Bouygues UK to deliver mechanical and electrical services, including power and lighting, heating and ventilation, water supply and drainage as well as fire alarm and sprinkler systems.

A significant contract win for Admiral, the mechanical and electrical (M&E) project was worth in excess of £1 million. According to Steve Gibson, director of Admiral’s M&E Division, the win was achieved by demonstrating an appetite and capacity to complete the project effectively, provision of competitive pricing and confidence engendered by the backing of a large and financially secure organisation.

Work carried out by Bouygues UK included demolition of an existing building, construction of the new premises and refurbishment of a former convent which now forms part of the new school building. Admiral employees moved on site during the construction phase and worked closely with Bouygues UK’s engineer in charge, Francois Bechu, to install mechanical and electrical services in accord with other works.

Weekly coordination meetings between Francois Bechu and Scott Williams, Admiral’s project manager, helped ensure that mutually dependent work was completed without delay. So impressed were Admiral’s team with the planning and project management processes employed by Bouygues UK that elements have been adopted and now form a routine part of Admiral’s own project management process.

Over an exhaustive nine month period Admiral laid more than ten miles of power cabling, established extensive water and drainage facilities, and installed heating, cooling and ventilation systems. As building work progressed, Admiral also supplied and commissioned building management systems such as the fire alarm and sprinkler system. The School’s facilities manager, Stuart Smith, worked with Admiral during the commissioning phase. Stuart was impressed with Admiral’s responsive, can-do attitude, saying: "In a build project of this scale there are bound to be hiccups. Whilst other companies might have hidden behind contractual excuses, Admiral simply knuckled down and got the job done. They were brilliant. They worked incredibly hard to make the building work."

At the opening ceremony in October 2009, Councillor Mark Page of Westminster Council said: "Our aim is to provide the best possible start in life for every child in Westminster. These new facilities will make a real difference to pupils at the school." St Marylebone School’s head teacher Elizabeth Phillips added: "I am delighted with the new facilities and all the extra space we now have. This building is a wonderful addition to the school and will benefit generations to come."

Speaking about the project, Lionel Christolomme, managing director of Bouygues UK said: "We are really proud to be involved in the transformation of St Marylebone School and it’s a reflection of the tremendous effort by the delivery team that such fantastic new facilities have been delivered in such a short space of time." Refurbishment of the school’s other premises on St Marylebone High Street will be completed in 2010.