New school designed as a raised structure due to its situation on a flood plain, with a drainage scheme that stores surface water.
2013 RIBA East Regional Award – Shortlisted
2014 Civic Trust Awards – Regional Finalist
Green Apple Award for the Built Environment – Bronze
Southend Borough Council Annual Design Awards – Commendation for New Build
Eckersley O’Callaghan provided structural and civil engineering services for this new build primary school and nursery. Constructed on a greenfield site in Shoeburyness, the project includes playgrounds, car parking, landscaping and a new access road.
The site is located within the Thames Estuary tidal flood zone and required careful consideration to reduce the risk of flooding. This has been managed by placing the school on a reinforced concrete podium deck, with car parking underneath.
The school is a two-storey steel frame with precast concrete floors. The top level of the podium was set above the predicted flood level, which assumes a breach of the flood defences along the Thames Estuary.
The podium deck was supported off piled foundations and was designed to support future expansion of the school.
Drainage was designed using Sustainable Urban Drainage (SUDs) techniques to store surface water on site and discharge to the natural water course in accordance with the Environment Agency’s requirements.
