Press information
School pupils study on site
Pupils from a Telford school have been getting to grips with the construction industry thanks to a local events group.
Southwater Event Group, which owns The International Centre, Telford, is currently building a new events suite on site at the venue at St Quentin Gate.
And the construction team has been working closely with the children and staff at neighbouring Hollinswood Infant & Nursery School, to help them learn more about the development process.
Tom Gray, Chief Executive of the Southwater Event Group, said: “We have joined forces with our contractors, Thomas Vale, to involve the children at the local school in as many ways as possible in the project. It’s an ambitious redevelopment which is taking shape right before their eyes, and we wanted to maximise the opportunities to include them in our plans, at every possible stage.”
So far pupils have visited the site to see the steelwork put in to support the new extension, and have worked with architects to see how computers are used in the building process.
They have also studied the materials used on the project, and the latest activity was working with staff from Thomas Vale and The International Centre on building model homes for popular children’s TV character, Peppa Pig.
Tom said: “Environmental impact has been another topic we’ve covered, and both the contractors and the Southwater team have been working very hard to ensure the new extension meets tough environmental standards.
“In particular, we’re working towards a rating from BREEAM – the leading and most widely-used environmental assessment method for buildings around the world, which sets the standard for best practice in sustainable design.
“Our new suite will be assessed against the strict criteria and given an overall environmental performance rating, and we are aiming for the highest score possible.”
The new events suite will cater for up to 1500 delegates and the project will also create four new syndicate rooms, with the new facilities available for use in July.
“We already have over 11,000 sq m of flexible events space, and the new facilities will take us up to 15,000 sq m in total,” said Tom.
Work at The International Centre is progressing alongside the £250 million project to create a convention quarter in the Southwater area of the town.
Pic: Teacher Mrs Samantha Jones with (clockwise) Skye Edwards, Luke Adams, Holly Hayes, Kamaljot Kaur Battth, and Abbey Owen-Jones, working on their Peppa Pig houses
ENDS/Tic school project release/February 21, 2011
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