Scoil Nioclais, Frankfield
This project involved revisiting a school we had designed some years earlier, with the objective of significantly enlarging its footprint.
- Location Frankfield, Cork
- Client Department of Education & Science
- Project Primary School Extension
The Challenge
Scoil Niocláis, a 500-pupil primary school delivered previously by Reddy A+U was the focus of a new extension comprising 16 additional classrooms, enlargement of the existing general-purpose hall, external play areas and extensive renovation to adjoining out buildings.
The Story
The site topography presented significant design challenges regarding constricted points of access and a significant change in level across the site for the proposed extension. During the construction phase, the need to keep the existing school facilities operational throughout required a mobile and innovative approach to construction technology.
The Outcome
The prominent general-purpose hall is an anchoring element in the design. It is the largest single space and acts as a central hub with the pre-existing school connected from one side and the new development connected from the other.
An item of earlier foresight helped the project considerably. The need for future expansion had already been flagged in the earlier project and the side-wall of the general-purpose hall, had been installed using a light-weight system that could be removed without structural complication. This allowed the hall to be doubled in size without compromise or restrictions.
