Education

Tyto Contracting Limited works with decision-makers including local government and school leaders from inception through to completion, ranging from fit-outs through to new builds.

Hallfield School is an independent school in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham that aims to provide its pupils with a “world-class prep school education”. In 2019, the school began to upgrade its facilities leading to the current phase of redevelopment, which Tyto Contracting was proudly selected to deliver on behalf of the Hallfield School Trust.

This latest project involves the reconstruction of a single-storey extension to the school’s Main Block accommodating two new classrooms, each with a capacity for 18 pupils, to be accessed from the school’s main entrance/reception.

Due to the existing building’s weakened substructure it was not possible to use the foundations in situ. As such, the building had to be completely demolished and new foundations formed.

The rebuild will facilitate a footprint increase of 81.42 sqm. In addition to the classrooms, the new block will consist of accessible toilets and a breakout space and common room for Hallfield Seniors in Years 7 and 8, aged 11 to 13.

The proposed folding partition between the classrooms will enable the space to be used as one when needed, with an adjacent storage area to ensure classroom tables and chairs can be packed away. The classroom space could potentially double up as a meeting / function room or be used by the after-school club.

Due to the nature of the school’s development and evolution over the years, numerous classrooms are split on various levels and accessed by steps making most of them inaccessible for wheelchair users. This redesign meets that problem head on, providing step-free access to the two new classrooms.

The classrooms will have a saw tooth roof, to enable rooflights to provide natural light and ventilation to the west elevation and solar panels to the east-facing elevation. As part of the works, air source heat pumps are being installed to provide hot water to the underfloor heating system which will allow uninterrupted wall space throughout the area, along with modern forms of construction to keep the building cool in the summer and warm in the winter with minimal effort.

The development will help to bring Hallfield’s facilities up to date with current standards and complement upgrades that have already been completed at the school.