
Posted by James (Josh) McCosh / 26th March 2020
Rugby C-Station / Houlton Secondary School
Main Works Start
The
Main Contract Works to build Houlton School have started, with a commensurate scaling
up of Morgan Sindall’s site and a much wider area of operations, including the
full 8 hectares of the secondary school site. Due to the guidance on Covid-19,
almost all meetings are taking place by video link. At this stage in the works
social distancing is effective, with everybody on site using machines, well
separated and in the open air, and very aware of the need to look after
themselves and others.

Works
to regrade the future new block footprints and playing fields are underway, with
the vegetation and topsoil being stripped. This follows the advance
translocation of the fields’ considerable population of Great Crested Newts,
using the ecological methods established by Urban & Civic with Ecology
Solutions over the whole of the Houlton site.

Ecology Solutions

Meanwhile
the demolition of the Transmission Blocks 1980’s and 1944 roofs has started,
with Collins using high-reach machines and platforms to remove the outer
cladding.

The
dry-stacked sample blend of bricks for alterations to the historic facades (in
the image those on the upper right) shows promise, when one anticipates the
lightening effect of the mortar, so the next step is rebuilding the sample
panel with the right pointing, hopefully for our approval and then submission
to the Rugby Borough Council to discharge the relevant listed building consent
condition.
