Oaklands Secondary School Case Study

Oaklands Secondary School, London

Product: Bespoke Glass and Polycarbonate Canopies
Size: Various Sizes
Estimated Value: £200,000

The Brief
Able Canopies were commissioned by Bouygues (UK) Ltd to produce five bespoke canopies at Oaklands School in Tower Hamlets, London. One of which was the Kensington Dual Pitch (canopy 1) and another was the Kensington Mono-Pitch free standing canopy (canopy 2B). Click here to read the bespoke wall mounted canopy case study. These canopy installations were part of a major Building Schools for Future (BSF) project managed by Bouygues (UK) Ltd to refurbish parts of the school and construct a new building at the site. The canopies were crucial to bringing the whole look and feel of the refurbished site together and so communication, teamwork and painstaking attention to detail were vitally important to ensure a successful installation.

Canopy 1: Free Standing Dual Pitch Polycarbonate Canopy
Canopy 1 was required to be fixed into place prior to the rendering of the external walls. This was also required for three of the other canopies. By completing this “first fix” it would enable the majority of the fixings to be hidden within the rendering giving the overall finish a smooth and clean appearance.

The first fix on Canopy 1 was a particular challenge as the building which the canopy was to be fixed to had not been fully constructed at that time, so there was insufficient material to complete the first fix. To overcome this, the team welded steel plates to the existing steel beams and then bolted the brackets to the plates allowing the first fix to be completed.

Canopy 1 was the longest of the canopies which Able Canopies was to install and was designed to provide cover for the entire front perimeter of the new building, in order to do this the walkway needed to be dual pitch to cover a large alcove which had been incorporated into the architectural designs.

Canopy 2B: Freestanding Mono Pitch Canopy
Canopy 2B was required to provide coverage over an entrance into the school. This canopy, constructed from glass and steel was to be a free standing canopy with a mono pitch roof which would create an impressive entrance into the school.

The Completed Project
The installation of all 5 canopies took place over 11 weeks; this included the installation of the first fix brackets and on completion of the project Able Canopies received this testimonial from the project architect:

“I was on site yesterday, and throughout the process of the canopy being erected at Oakland’s School. I think your guys (and of course you all) have done a great job in such a short time” – Kristofer Robert Adelaide, David Miller Architects

You can read David Miller Architects case study about the entire Oaklands project here

If you have any questions, or to find out if you qualify for a Free Site Survey contact us