Construction of a new school for Wokingham, designed by our team, took a major step this week, with the first phase of modules lifted into place for the buildings. The Keys Academy Trust will run the 210-place school in Matthewsgreen, which is being built on land off Queens Road.
The first modular frames were lifted into place last week as the new school begins to take shape. Phase one of the installation included 50 modular frames which have been landed in place and make up the majority of the primary school building. The new multi-use games area is also nearing completion.
Seventy-five per cent of the building work for the new block will be completed modularly offsite, a decision made to cut carbon emissions in the construction process by offsite construction specialists Reds10. This helps the council towards its goal of making Wokingham a carbon-neutral borough by 2030.
A new 500sqm community facility will be built on the same site as the school as part of the North Wokingham major development. It will have a separate entrance but will be linked, with the school and community centre sharing facilities if and when needed.
The new school and community amenities are funded through developer contributions as part of the four major new communities at Arborfield, Shinfield and North and South Wokingham, and includes an investment of £98 million in new schools.
In total these developments will bring seven new primary schools, with two already open at Montague Park in Wokingham and Alder Grove in Shinfield. Two others are under construction including this one in Matthewsgreen and another at Arborfield Green, which was also designed by our team.
Claire Wakelin, London Studio Director said: “This installation is an exciting milestone that brings us one step closer to fruition of the new primary school in Matthewsgreen. As with our other projects in the borough, the facility design champions the very best standards around sustainability and environmental concerns, and will successfully bring forward a high quality, state-of-the-art learning space that allows young pupils from the local area to achieve their best.”
Michael Ruddick, Director at Reds10, said: ‘‘We are pleased to have reached an important milestone on another project with Wokingham Borough Council. Our partnership is shaping the future of the local community and Matthewsgreen is set to be one of the key projects, whilst helping the council reach its carbon agenda.”
Cllr UllaKarin Clark, Executive Member for Children’s Services, Wokingham Borough Council, said: “It’s great to see the buildings taking shape now the modules have arrived on site at Matthewsgreen. Investing in new schools is vital for the borough and ensures we support families by providing a school place close to home.
“The Keys Academy Trust are proven to provide an excellent education to hundreds of students in our borough, running successful schools in Shinfield, Earley, Hurst, Sonning and Twyford. We look forward to seeing them provide this standard of schooling to more students in the borough when this school opens.”
