progress report
To view photographic progress of the construction of the Blackburn Science Centre to date, please click here.
On 6 July 2009, in accordance with the project plan and timetable, the construction of the Science Centre commenced with the demolition of the old Biology Block. It took a month to demolish with the materials and concrete being crushed and recycled in accordance with environmental standards.
The first week of demolition involved the tile by tile removal of the roof, which ensured that any bats nesting in the roof were not disturbed.
This was followed by the piling work, which involved 114 steel piles being inserted approximately 12 metres down into the ground. The Science Centre is built on a slope and the purpose of the piles is to stop the building from moving down the slope. During the course of clearing, a significant number of piles from the old building were discovered. The number of these was much greater than expected for a building of its age. The old piles conflicted with the new ones so they had to be removed or capped to accommodate the new piles. This was achieved at the cost of a week's delay to the project timetable.
The piling involved a piling crane with a large drill, drilling down into the ground and filling it with concrete. As this was a noisy procedure, the drilling took place before the pupils arrived back for the new Michaelmas term so as not to disrupt lessons.
The next stage of laying the foundations involved putting in steel frames all around the site with a crib wall around it. No problems were experienced during this stage.
The second week of October saw the steel frames being brought on site which, although they were scheduled to be put up over the course of three weeks, were erected within two weeks, which brought the project back on schedule. Finally, the steel canopy was constructed for the front entrance of the building. At this stage the shape of the building became visible.
Currently, work on the flooring is underway with concrete floors being built around the steel frames. After a week of bad weather, which created some hold ups, work is continuing whilst the weather remains reasonable. The building blocks recently arrived in preparation for constructing the ground floor walls. If the weather remains reasonable, the build should reach the stage where the roof is ready to go on by the end of January 2010. This is a major milestone in the project as it means that the work inside the building can begin.
As of today the project remains on time and on budget for completion by the start of the next academic year in September 2010.
The campaign continues and if you have not yet been part of this exciting venture and would like to be, the Science Centre Donation Form is available for downloading here. To view the Science Centre DVD, please click the play button on the photo on the right. If you would like a copy of the Science Centre Brochure of if you require further information, please contact foundation@bradfieldcollege.org.uk.
Bradfield college awards contract to build the 'blackburn science centre'
Bradfield College has appointed Feltham Construction Limited of Newbury as its main contractor to build its new Science Centre. The new Science Centre, which uses the very latest in sustainable design technology and brings all three main science subjects together in a single building, has been designed by architects MEB Design Limited of Oxford.
The state-of-the-art science block which includes ten sophisticated laboratories, a living grass roof, a conservatory and a biomass boiler is intended to provide an educationally and environmentally exciting space for the teaching of science. Construction will commence in July 2009 and will be completed in time for the start of the academic year in September 2010.
The majority of the £5m building has been funded through the generosity of Old Bradfieldians, parents and other benefactors.
In recognition of a major donation by Mr David Blackburn OBE (D 45-50) and the Blackburn Family, the new building will be named the ‘Blackburn Science Centre’.
The College has a strong science tradition. One of its alumni, Sir Martin Ryle, a former Astronomer Royal, was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974. Other notable alumni with significant achievements in science and related fields include the agricultural geneticist William Ormston Blackhouse; the horticulturalist Sir William Lawrence; the internal combustion engine pioneer, H. Pelham Lee; and the neurophysicist Charles Phillips.
Mr Peter Roberts commented “The Blackburn Science Centre will ensure that Bradfield continues to be a centre of excellence for science and that Bradfield plays its part in reversing the national decline in the number of young people studying and teaching the sciences. In addition the Blackburn Science Centre will also provide the opportunity for hundreds of young people from outside the College to benefit from its facilities, in particular by extending Bradfield’s partnership with West Berkshire primary schools. This exciting new development would not have been possible without the considerable generosity of the Blackburn Family and other donors both large and small.”
The Bradfield Foundation's current major campaign has successfully raised over £3m towards the new Science Centre. This has enabled the Council (Governing Body) of the College to give the go ahead to the project.
The Foundation and the College are extremely grateful for the tremendous generosity of the Old Bradfieldian Community and the families of our current pupils, who have contributed to this fundraising campaign.
The state of the art, purpose built Science Centre will not only aid in the development of science teaching and learning, and forming links with the local community, but will also be a fundamental statement promoting science as a key area for current and future generations of pupils at the College who aspire to study at undergraduate level and beyond.