Customer: GB Building Solutions

Location: Northumberland

Requirement:

GB Building Solutions, the Strategic Construction Framework Partners for Northumberland County Council, needed high quality relocatable accommodation in order to carry out a major upgrade and rebuilding programme of the region's schools.

Solution:

Following a four-way tender process, Portakabin was chosen to provide the classroom accommodation, with GB Building Solutions citing the superior quality and relocatability of the Portakabin buildings as a deciding factor.

John Matthews, Business Development Manager at GB Building Solutions said: "The 12 classrooms will move around the region whilst work takes place on different school sites. There are usually two or three buildings at separate schools at any one time, so relocatability combined with a high-quality learning environment was absolutely vital for us.

"The quality of the classrooms surpassed all expectations and prompted one head teacher to admit that the buildings were far better than their existing old school buildings and not at all what they were expecting from "temporary" accommodation."

The 64m² Portakabin Classrooms buildings exceed DfES size guidelines, and due to the nature of modular construction, they can be up and running within hours of arriving on-site, therefore minimising disruption to the school.

Each classroom has four toilet facilities, including a disabled cubicle in keeping with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). The lobby areas also provide a light and spacious area for children to arrive and hang their belongings.

Mr Matthews continues: "It was critical to the success of the refurbishment programme that the classroom buildings arrived over the school holidays so minimal disruption was caused. This meant timely delivery was absolutely essential. Again, the service from Portakabin was fantastic, with all the buildings being delivered exactly when needed. I certainly wouldn't hesitate to recommend Portakabin to other contractors."

In between each relocation, the Portakabin team conducts quality checks and carries out any necessary maintenance on each of the classrooms to ensure that the high standard of finish is consistent throughout the project.

As well as offering speedy delivery and high-quality environments, Portakabin Classrooms buildings are delivered to site fully fitted with all electrics and plumbing, reducing the need for additional tradesmen on-site.

Mr Matthews adds: "The customer service received has been flawless, with the Portakabin team consistently being professional and efficient throughout. Weekly update meetings were scheduled by the team to keep everyone fully informed of progress, which really highlights their dedication to the project."

The buildings have been specifically designed to provide specialist-teaching resources with good ventilation and excellent energy efficiency as well as high levels of natural light - a key factor in productivity and motivation.

In addition, the Portakabin Classrooms buildings were delivered with a five-year product warranty and 20-year structural warranty¹ as well as the pioneering Portakabin Customer Charter². This states that if Portakabin ever fails to deliver a project on time and to the agreed contract sum, the customer will be entitled to an additional 12 months product warranty. Complete peace of mind comes with knowing that 99.6%³ of all Portakabin projects fulfil this promise by arriving on time and on budget.