Project: John F Kennedy School, Hemel-Hempstead

• Western red cedar sourced from sustainable accredited channels (FSC, CSA, PEFC or similar)
• Complete envelope delivery including steel frame, membranes, insulation & cladding.
• Panelised, concealed fixing approach to 100 x 25 mm Western red Cedar system.

Architect:
Perkins Ogden

Main Contractor:
Leadbitter Construction Ltd

The John F Kennedy School had decided to provide new teaching and sports facilities to the students of Hemel-Hempstead after winning the £8.5M government grant sometime in 2006. The main focus of the project was to deliver the new technology building and sports hall with minimum impact to the surrounding environment. Therefore the obvious choice for the envelope was a BCL western red cedar system, pre-fabricated and environmentally sourced, reducing the duration of on-site works and minimising the overall carbon footprint of the project. The ‘secret-fixing’ principle of BCL design allowed the highest quality finish to be achieved on the vertically clad areas of the building within the inherent constraints of a government education budget. As with many projects, BCL was used as a ‘one-stop’ solution providing steel framing, membranes, insulation and the design/manufacture/installation of the timber cladding system. The new technology block and sports hall were delivered on-time, on-budget and all below the visible tree line surrounding the school, reducing the environmental and social impact on the area.