Lime Academy Forest Approach

The school required additional teaching space within a very short timescale due to an increase in pupil numbers. From initial instruction to completion, the available programme was approximately five weeks, leaving little margin for delays. To achieve this, the team used readyto-deploy hire buildings and carefully coordinated all stages of manufacture, delivery, groundwork, and installation to ensure the building could be handed over on time. Additional working hours and weekend labour were required to maintain progress.

The programme was further compressed due to delays in the client confirming the final order. During this period, the planned completion date had to be revised, which reduced the available construction window. Once approval was received, the team had to react quickly by rescheduling deliveries, arranging labour at short notice, and coordinating subcontractors to ensure the revised programme could still be achieved without affecting the school’s need for the building.

The installation location could only be reached by passing delivery wagons across existing school grounds. To allow safe access for heavy vehicles and the installation crane, a temporary roadway had to be constructed. This ensured the ground surface was protected and that vehicles could reach the foundations without causing damage to playground areas or landscaping. Careful planning was required to ensure the roadway could support the weight of transport vehicles and lifting equipment

The site contained existing underground services which restricted where foundations could be installed. A survey was carried out before works began, and temporary pad foundations were positioned to avoid conflicts with buried pipes and cables. This required adjustments to the original foundation layout while still maintaining the correct structural support for the modular building. Accuracy at this stage was critical to ensure the building could be installed without delays.

Connecting the new classroom block to the existing drainage system proved difficult due to the distance from the nearest suitable connection point. The solution was to link the building into an existing pumped drainage system serving another temporary classroom on site. This required additional pipework, careful coordination with existing services, and testing to ensure the system operated correctly once the building was in use.

As the work took place within a live school environment, strict safety procedures had to be followed at all times. All site personnel required DBS clearance before being allowed to work on site, and deliveries had to be planned around school hours to minimise risk to students and staff. Temporary fencing, controlled access routes, and close coordination with the school ensured the project could be completed safely without interrupting normal daily activities