Versatile Modular Classroom Adds Space and Fun for Copley Primary School

A modular classroom can provide the ideal solution to create added multifunctional space in a school environment.

When Copley Primary School needed to create additional and versatile rooms for children to both learn and play, they turned to our team at Make Room Outside to access our expertise in modular buildings. The brief we were given was to design a safe, inspiring and stimulating building successfully combining the indoors and the outdoors to enhance the educational environment.

Visiting the show village in Copley

Copley Primary School is located in the village of Copley near Halifax in West Yorkshire and is committed to empowering children to fulfil their potential by combining excellent provision and nurturing personal development within a safe and happy environment.

Headteacher Sarah Hemingway and her team visited our Make Room Outside show village to take a closer look at what could be achieved with a bespoke modular building designed around the school’s identified requirements.

Our director Ryan Crossley explains why this was an important element of the design process.

“It was a very valuable meeting,” he said. “It gave our team the opportunity to listen very carefully in order to understand exactly what would meet the aspirations and challenges, using our knowledge and expertise to design the best solution to match the aspirations and practical needs of the school.”

Designing the space

Following this initial meeting, we produced initial framework ideas for the building. We wanted our vision to match the school’s own; the visuals combined bifold doors to one side, with sliding doors meeting at the corner to create maximum space and light. The addition of a canopy at the end of the building successfully achieved the ‘indoor-outdoor’ concept; with the doors open the children could pass from interior to exterior and directly into the outdoor play space without hindrance.

No loss of space for the children

The school team were determined that adding the extra building would not take any space away from this existing playground area. The modular building was to be located on what had been a small staff car park.

Positioning of the structure was also an important consideration, with a solid wall onto the roadside and then the opening sections facing into the playground for added privacy.

Important visuals provided

The initial visuals met with approval and enthusiasm from the school team, so our team progressed the framework to a computer-generated plan and 3D imagery to bring the concept to life. At this stage, the school was able to visualise exactly how the finished project would look and feel.

This also enabled the entire project team to look at a variety of component options, such as cladding, to ensure the selected finish would match the environment. As a busy school looking to minimise maintenance requirements, they selected an attractive slatted composite cladding which will look just as good after five years as it did on the day it was built.

Efficient and sustainable

Keeping the space warm and comfortable was also important for the school. Our modular buildings are designed and built for energy efficiency and typically yield a U-value (thermal transmittance) of around 0.18 W/m²K.

Walls feature two layers of rigid insulation with a breather membrane, and floors also incorporate two layers of insulation. Roofs combine both rigid and Rockwool insulation. All timber is responsibly sourced with FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification. 

Ensuring safe installation logistics

We discussed installation logistics in detail with the school. With the installation planned for term time, safety was an important consideration whilst works were in progress. As the site location was an existing car park and not part of the playground, we were able to separate the space and ensure work was completed in isolation from the play area.

Risk assessments and method statements were prepared and agreed upon with the school team to keep everyone safe, and a timeline was planned for the process.

Modular buildings provide a perfect solution for this scenario, as they are manufactured offsite and then brought to the site for assembly. This shortens the build time on site but means only one material delivery is required, limiting any potential interruptions to the school day and enhancing safety.

Advantages over a traditional build

“The advantages over a traditional build are significant,” explained Ryan. “If the space is required urgently, we can complete from point of order to finished project within six weeks. Alongside the shorter timeline, there is much less noise and mess as the main part of the build is completed off-site at our specialist manufacturing facility. This means minimal or no disruption to playtimes and lesson times.”

A modular build cuts the time on site by at least two-thirds, and even more importantly, typically represents around half the cost of a traditional build. This project took just eleven days on site for us to carry out from start to completion and commissioning, and Copley Primary School now benefits from a beautiful additional and versatile classroom space which complements the architecture of the existing building.

In summary

The school is delighted with its new facility. “As a school, we approached Make Room Outside with a brief to create a space we could use as both a ‘breakout’ classroom and a calm area for children who need a bit of peace and quiet at times,” explained head teacher Sarah Hemingway. “Throughout the process the team were fantastic. We were consulted at every step of the design process and were able to create a space that is both practical and beautiful! The team on site were brilliant and worked with our safeguarding procedures with minimum disruption to the school community. We now have a wonderful garden room that is used every day by our school, and we couldn’t be happier!”