PEP were appointed as civil and structural engineering design consultants by contractor Kier Eastern for this PFI project, to provide additional classrooms at the Taverham High School.

The buildings are two storey steel framed structures with composite floors and lightweight standing seam roofs. Foundations are traditional mass concrete bases and strips. The buildings are clad using a lightweight panel system.

Due to programme constraints PEP were faced with an extremely tight design period for the project, which was successfully achieved using CSC’s 3D+ software. This provides a direct interface between our in-house building design software and 3D draughting package, enabling a rapid turn-around of drawings.

PEP were appointed as civil and structural engineering design consultants for this Design and Build project to provide additional accommodation for the College. Built on a restricted site, the three storey steel frame and precast concrete structure, with 14m clear spans, has reinforced concrete strip foundations. Included within the design is a complex glass and steel atrium.

PEP were also responsible for the drainage design, including provision of a swale for surface water run off.

PEP were appointed as civil and structural engineering design consultants for this imposing three storey building, with a steel frame structure supporting precast concrete floors with power floated structural topping.

A piled foundation solution was adopted to overcome the problem of clay heave following the removal of mature trees from beneath the footprint of the building. The original design team were novated to the Design & Build Contractor.

Woldingham School – Surrey

PEP were appointed as civil and structural engineering design consultants for this Design and Build contract. The completed three storey building offers residential accommodation for 68 sixth form girls.

The first and second floor study-bedrooms include en-suite bathrooms that use the ‘back to back’ pod construction format. A traditional form of construction was adopted for the building structure, comprising strip footings, load bearing masonry walls, precast concrete floors and trussed rafter roof

Middleton Combined School – Milton Keynes

PEP were appointed as civil and structural engineering design consultants for this new build project located on a green field site. The building consists of a central circular hall with two curved wings of classrooms. The plan footprint is in the shape of an eye, with the circular hall forming the pupil and the curved wings of classrooms forming the lids.

The steel frame structure is supported on traditional mass concrete trench-fill foundations.

Grey water re-cycling from the roof run-off was used to top up a feature pond, which was relocated to maintain the previous natural habitat for the various species of wild animals living on the site.

Higham Ferrers & Mawsley Primary Schools - Northamptonshire

PEP were appointed as civil and structural engineering design consultants for these two schools, which are of a similar layout but with subtle differences in their elevational treatment. The unusual footprint consists of curved and oblique walls with little or no right angles within the building.

There is a central hall with a barrel curved roof surrounded by spiralling radial classrooms with staggered ‘saw tooth’ stepped pitch roofs. Both Sites have steel framed structures on traditional foundations.

Environmentally friendly storm water attenuation systems have been designed for both sites.

PEP were appointed as civil and structural engineering design consultants to provide a multifunction hall and additional classrooms on the Bedford Modern campus.

The multipurpose hexagonal building has piled foundations and integral retaining walls.

Jack Tizard School – London W12

PEP were appointed as civil and structural engineering design consultants by contractor Jerram Falkus for the redevelopment of an existing school site in South Africa Road, to provide a new Special Needs School with eight classrooms and all the necessary support facilities.

Oxford Brookes University

PEP were appointed as civil and structural engineering design consultants to provide a new ‘Engineering School of Excellence’ at the Wheatley Campus.

This purpose built building is designed for lecturing students and carrying out research in the automotive field. The building houses specialist laboratories, engine test cells and workshops.

The main building is of two storey flat slab RC construction, with a lean-to steel portal frame for the main workshop area.

Extensive use of SUDS was incorporated into the drainage system, including feature attenuation ponds and swales.

PEP were appointed by contractor Jerram Falkus to act as civil and structural engineering consultants on this project, to provide additional student accommodation for the University of Westminster. The accommodation comprises a five storey building with partial basement.

The concrete frame solution proposed by PEP proved a winner on this Design and Build contract, which was originally detailed with steel and steel deck concrete slabs. The flat slab construction also permitted a reduction in overall height of the building. Foundations are piled.

Shrewsbury School

PEP were appointed by the School Governors to act as civil and structural engineering design consultants for this two phase project, to provide a new Cricket School and Swimming Pool (pictured) at Shrewsbury School.

Both buildings utilise steel frame construction, which in the case of the Swimming Pool was designed to mimic a wave form. Foundations to the Cricket School are piled (due to poor ground conditions), whereas the Swimming Pool uses traditional mass concrete pads and strips. A variety of cladding solutions were employed, including timber boarding and curtain walling. The roofs are finished in a lightweight standing seam system.

The existing storm and foul drainage to the school discharges to a combined sewer. Special measures were therefore required to limit overall storm water discharge rates from the two buildings, including a limited discharge pump for the Swimming Pool, a hydrobrake for the Cricket School, and cellular storage.

Buildings E and L – Harlow College

A further design and build contract with Kier Eastern. PEP acted as civil and structural engineering design consultants for this new build project, to provide additional specialist teaching facilities at Harlow College.

Building E provides a 140 seat theatre, lighting and sound control rooms, two rehearsal rooms, a props storeroom, dance studio, teaching classrooms and three further studios. Building L provides a 250 seat student restaurant, outdoor seating area, silver service training restaurant open to the public, training kitchens, and fully equipped training rooms and class rooms for Harlow Sixth Form and their Skills Academy.

The buildings are two storey steel framed structures with precast concrete hollowcore floor units and lightweight standing seam roofs. Foundations to Building L are piled, whilst Building E use traditional mass concrete pads and strips. The buildings are clad with a combination of traditional masonry and curtain walling.

Berkhamstead Collegiate School

PEP were appointed as civil and structural engineering design consultants for this project, to provide new art studios, a dining area and kitchens for the Collegiate School.

The two and three storey building is of steel frame construction with precast concrete hollowcore floor units and cut timber roofs. The building is clad with traditional tile hanging, battened off the steel frame behind. The roofs are tiled. The building is supported on piled foundations due to poor ground conditions.

To keep structural floor zones to a minimum the precast concrete floor units run into the sides of the main floor beams, which utilize shallow depth universal column sections with projecting bottom plates. A structural concrete topping is provided above the floor units to comply with disproportionate collapse requirements.

PEP’s brief included the design of a footbridge over a river (pictured), plus all external works and drainage.