School gets top class makeover

Atkinson Road Primary School, based in the West End of Newcastle, was struggling to keep energy costs down in the face of rising prices.  

Over 15 per cent of heat is lost through poorly insulated windows and doors, so they decided to look into alternative options to conserve more energy.  
In addition to their poor thermal performance, the windows of this Victorian property were also in need of serious repair.

The head teacher Mrs O’Neil from Atkinson Road Primary School explains: “We knew our windows were not performing properly and as energy prices continue to rise, especially during the winter, we needed to look for a way to overcome this.  The building dates back to Victorian times, which meant we had to be sympathetic to the architecture and existing materials.  We also wanted to improve the aesthetics of the school for both the students and staff.

There were also the operational and logistical issues to consider working in the education environment.   Replacing the windows is a hugely disruptive task for a school, so it took meticulous planning and a lot of consideration for the health and safety of everyone involved.”

After a lengthy tender process Mrs O’Neil decided to work with Everest Commercial to fulfil the project requirements.  Mrs O’Neil explains: “We were impressed by Everest’s products – we understood what made them better quality and that appealed to us.  This is not an exercise we wanted to be repeating in five years’ time, so it was important that the product we installed was the best it could be.”

Everest installed uPVC windows and doors with integral glazing bars for the school on time and within budget.  Challenges included, as Stuart Judge, Head of Everest Commercial explains: “We had very restrictive site access to a building constructed over split levels and that was part occupied which meant we had to get scaffolding erection and access to the work area whilst installing windows around a busy urban school.  The process also involved dismantling and re-installing an artificial ceiling back to the new windows”

Mrs O’Neil comments: “We’ve had such good feedback from the entire school about the difference it’s made - it is amazing.  Considering all the challenges we faced to make it happen we’re thrilled with the end result.  Teachers and students alike now have a much better working environment and we’ll be saving money as well as helping the environment for years to come.”