ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL BENEFITS FROM ELITE’S MODULAR SYSTEMS

Modular accommodation manufacturer Elite Systems GB has delivered a significant number of high-specification classrooms for Essex County Council across a variety of educational sites in the county.

Since winning the tender in 2012, Elite Systems GB has provided nearly 40 new classrooms, and done so by offering its full turnkey package, taking care of every element of the development, including:

• Planning
• Detail design
• Groundworks
• Construction
• Completion
• Handover

The modular buildings were required to suit a range of ages, so some needed to be designed for nursery use, others for KS1, 2, 3 and 4 – in fact, right up to college level.

Aside from this, each site had its own style, so individual developments needed to be adapted to harmonise with its surroundings. To meet these requirements, Elite and Essex County Council looked at ways of bringing the buildings in line – clever use of external finishes, such as beautiful timber cladding across a range of styles and configurations, plus a variety of roofing solutions ensured that the finished products suited the sites perfectly.

Despite budgetary constraints, each project was successfully delivered within timeframes and cost agreements – but the work didn’t just stop at design, construction and aesthetics. There were a range of other key features that needed to be accounted for too, which varied according to each site.

For starters, one of the buildings needed to accommodate for the British weather, and was therefore designed to be completely reusable after any potential flooding scenario.

Other items provided included wet-pour, soft external play surfaces to meet Health & Safety requirements, canopies to cover play areas, complementary landscaping and hard surfaces – and last but by no means least, even the supply and installation of play equipment was included in the project framework.

With all deliverables and cost-efficiencies met, and a great working relationship established, Essex County Council went on to request further modular buildings to be supplied by Elite Systems. In addition to talks on an extension of the framework for a further year, the Council also went on to procure additional modular buildings for office and welfare use across four of their waste transfer stations.