Oasis Academy, Bristol
The Oasis Academy Marksbury Road primary school in Bristol is being constructed by Skanska, transforming a former brownfield site. Hoard-it worked with Skanska on this project to deliver a rather unique hoarding solution to the site.
The new primary school will have capacity for 420 children, including a 60-place special educational needs provision. Skanska’s team worked closely with the Homes and Community Agency on redeveloping the site, as part of a project to regenerate south Bristol.
A number of low carbon methods are being used as part of the construction process to minimise the impact on the environment. Renewable technologies are also being used to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating. Solar panels were used on site during the construction process, supplying energy to power lighting. Rainwater was also harvested from the new building to irrigate the landscaping.
Given the length of time needed to complete the project, and the amount of disruption it would cause, Skanska were keen to engage with the community. They stayed in regular contact with them and neighbours were given notice ahead of any disruptive work. Regular communication was put in place to update local people on the progress of the primary school.
This also included an open doors weekend, where the community was invited to visit the site and see how a construction site operates. This was designed to attract not only those who wanted to monitor progress, but also parents who were potentially looking at the school as a location for their children in the future.
As part of the community engagement, Hoard-it were asked to supply 50 metres of hoarding panels. Initially, we thought the panels would be branded in Skanska colours. However, Skanska engaged with a local primary school and some of the local children produced artwork focused on health and safety issues.
Hoard-it translated the artwork into a site graphics solution. The children’s drawings were then printed onto 3mm PVC panels. The timber hoarding panels were fitted in front of the ply and clamped into place by the steels and a header clip, which allows them to be recycled. Our hoarding solution comprises of 5 elements, all of which are fully reusable, and it was designed with sustainability in mind.
The Oasis Academy Marksbury Road will accept pupils from ages 4-11, from all faiths and backgrounds, and is an important part of the regeneration of south Bristol.
