Expanded and modernised thanks to a multi-million pound investment by the London Borough of Richmond, the development of the new Hampton and Twickenham Academies has seen £15m spent on demolishing and
rebuilding a number of buildings at Hampton Academy, whilst a further £20m has been spent on pulling down the old Whitton School to replace it with the new Twickenham Academy.
Constructed by the Leadbitter Group and built to achieve BREEAM Excellent rating, the academies are the latest schools in the UK to benefit from the installation of the revolutionary Multi-service foil. A joint venture
between Zehnder and Whitecroft Lighting, the Multi-service foil brings together the expertise of both companies to provide a multi-functional ceiling raft which enables all the essential classroom services to be
delivered from one single unit.
Providing students with a modern, dynamic and comfortable learning
environment, whilst also freeing up valuable wall space and creating an uncluttered aesthetic, the Multi-service foil was specified for installation
by Hoare Lea Associates and was installed throughout the corridors and classrooms at both academies by Balfour Beatty Construction Services
UK. Kelli Jones, Senior Project Engineer at Balfour Beatty explains, “In addition to the key heating and cooling functions of the ceiling raft the flexibility of the Multi-service foil enabled us to customise the panel
configuration and incorporate additional classroom support services as specified by the school. As a result fire alarms, PA speakers and PIR’s have been fitted within the raft. Data wi-fi points have also been
installed along the top of the rafts, and whilst these are not fixed, they have been installed ready for use in the future.”
Optimising energy performance in line with BREEAM requirements both the heating and lighting functionality of the Multi-service foil help reduce
the energy load of the school, at the same time as ensuring a consistently comfortable and productive learning environment for pupils. By combining
maximum use of daylight with long 54W T5 lamps the Multi-service foil uses less energy than alternatives and offers savings of up to 25%. In
addition the highly efficient and exceptionally responsive nature of a radiant heating system means the Multi-service foil can achieve energy efficiency savings of up to 40% on other heating technologies. Combine
this with the added benefit of it being suitable for use with renewable energy sources and the Multi-service foil becomes the ideal solution to providing sustainable and energy efficient services for schools.
“In addition to the heating and lighting efficiencies of the Multi-service foil we also had to provide the correct levels of acoustic performance to
create an appropriate learning environment” adds Kelli.
“Thanks to integrated panels which are filled with anechoic material to reduce reverberation the Multi-service foil is fully compliant with Building Bulletin 93. This negated the need for additional costly acoustic cladding and helped speed up build time.”
Configured for ease of installation the Multi-service foil utilises a ‘plug and play’ system with much of the service installation being carried out before delivery to site.
Commenting on the installation Kelli says, “Installation and cost were key factors in the product specification, therefore the multi-functionality of the product meant that we have been able to install all the services concurrently, helping save valuable time on site.”
With both Academies now completed and fully open to pupils they are providing an optimal learning environment where students can flourish
and achieve the best possible results.
