Lakehouse to transform Bygrove School, Poplar

February marks the start of London Borough of Tower Hamlet's £735K contract to extend and refurbish Bygrove Primary School, Poplar. The redevelopment will include construction of a single storey extension at the front of the school with some refurbishment work to existing classrooms.

The new building will host facilities including a multi-purpose room, therapy/medical room, staff room, and a covered play area for nursery children. Work will comprise of ground improved foundations with concrete reinforced ground beams, beam and block flooring and and load bearing block work walls. The new extension will have both insulated render and timber cladding with composite timber and aluminium double glazed windows.

During the summer Tower Hamlet's Building and Technical Services team consulted key stakeholders and pupils of the school to work towards a design that would accommodate their needs and transform the school. The pupils suggested the use of a green roof and also requested outdoor lights in the playground for winter months. The building has been designed to include solar panels on the roof along with a green roof. This will be able to be viewed by the children using a camera that will be mounted on the roof and linked to the school's IT systems. External lights have also been included in the design of the area around the new extension.