St Mary’s is a voluntary academy senior school in Menston, West Yorkshire, that sits under the Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust. With over 1300 pupils and staff across years 7 to 13, it has become a much-used facility since its inception in 1964.
In 2018, the Trust issued a tender to replace the roof to the school’s sports hall which was experiencing leaks due to its age and the material used in its original construction, asbestos cement. On our being awarded the tender and appointed as Principal Contractor in the Spring, the team at Jupiter commenced with the works in the Summer.
Since part of the contract was carried out while the school remained in operation, the works had to be segregated and extremely well managed by the site team at all times to avoid difficulty to students and staff. Also, with the hall’s interior set to remain intact, it was crucial the roof refurbishment was completed using a phased approach so as to negate any water ingress.
First, the original asbestos roofing was removed and disposed of, making the area safe for further work. Next, Jupiter installed a brand-new Kingspan composite roof in its place, a lightweight and durable solution that would future proof the building for a further twenty years. New Rockpanel fascias completed the roofing requirement before the team went on to remove the sports hall windows, replacing each one with a new aluminium frame and reinforced glass to bring more longevity to the facility.
The project was completed to an extremely high standard, within the £190,000 budget and allocated 10-week period, with the improved sports hall building in optimum shape to serve the school over the years to come.
