Kingspan TEK adds excitement to school dinners

Pupils at Filton Avenue Primary School are enjoying the benefits of offsite construction in their warm, vibrant new dining hall, erected in a matter of weeks using the Kingspan TEK Building System.

Recent increases in the school’s intake meant that the existing lunch facilities, located away from the main buildings, needed to be upgraded. Studio LIME proposed a simple pitched roof design, using brightly coloured cladding to encourage students to enjoy healthy school meals inside. The construction work was completed by Jones Building Group during term time. This was one of the reasons the Kingspan TEK Building System was specified. Architect, Alex Robertson, explained:

“The Kingspan TEK Building System was chosen to reduce the on-site duration of the project and the noise and disruption that goes with it. A number of classrooms are located nearby and operated effectively for the duration of the project. We were also keen to use the system as it allowed us to get a weather proof envelope as quickly as possible, reducing the scope for delays.”

Kingspan TEK panels comprise a high-performance insulation core sandwiched between two layers of OSB/3. They were designed and factory cut to the project’s unique specifications by Kingspan TEK Delivery Partners,SIP Build UK. This offsite production process minimised site waste and allowed the panels to be quickly erected. Once a breather membrane was applied to the outer face of the panels, the structure was watertight allowing internal trades to begin work.

The bespoke production process gave Studio LIME considerable design control:

“By using the Kingspan TEK panels on the roof and walls, we were able to have consistent detailing across the whole of the building envelope,” Alex Robertson commented. “This significantly reduced the number and complexity of different interfaces, minimising the potential for future maintenance issues.”

Under the Bristol Core Strategy, it was also essential that the building achieved a high level of energy efficiency. The Kingspan TEK Building System supported a fabric first construction approach, limiting the heating demand of the building. The insulated core of the structural insulated panel, allowed U-values of 0.17 W/m2.K to be reached on the wall and roof whilst its OSB/3 facing and unique jointing system minimised air-leakage through the building envelope.

The lightweight design and excellent spanning capability of the panels also allowed the size and weight of the roof supports to be significantly reduced compared with alternative fabric options. This made the building more cost effective to construct and allowed acoustic plenums to be formed over the dining hall to minimise noise.