Novus Property
Solutions has redecorated five buildings at one of Scotland’s largest and most
prestigious independent schools over the summer, in a project worth £25,000.
Founded almost 200 years ago in 1818,
making it the oldest co-educational boarding school in Scotland, Dollar Academy in Clackmannanshire is a day
and boarding school for 1,200 boys and girls aged from five to eighteen.
The 70 acre school campus features numerous
buildings of periodic and modern design, all set in a stunning location, with the breathtaking Ochil
Hills providing the backdrop.
The redecoration project took just six weeks to
complete in order to fit in with the school’s summer holiday break, limiting
disruption to pupils and staff. Between four and six Novus operatives from its
Bathgate office worked simultaneously around the school campus in order to meet
the agreed deadline.
The wide-ranging works included repainting the
exterior of one building and the interior of four buildings on campus, as well
as refreshing the road and playground markings throughout the school
grounds.
The school’s Playfair building, with its distinctive neo-classical
façade, was designed by the eminent
Scottish architect William Henry Playfair. The team repainted the main
reception area and back office as well as the entranceway to the main assembly
hall in the Playfair building, ensuring that all works carried out were sensitive
to the original structure.
In the award-winning
Maguire building, which houses the school’s art, PE and drama facilities, the
team refreshed the gym hall, first aid room and entrance. While in the Dewar building, which houses the science
department, Novus operatives repainted the ground floor foyer area. Crown
Clean Extreme in both matt and acrylic eggshell were used to guarantee a
long-lasting stain-resistant finish which can be easily cleaned, saving future maintenance costs.
The Junior School building required redecorating
throughout and Novus was tasked with repainting seven classrooms as well as
various corridor areas and the toilets. Johnstone’s Acrylic Durable Eggshell
and Acrylic Satin, which were specially mixed to shades from the Farrow and
Ball range, were applied, providing a high performance tough coating - ideal
for a busy school environment.
The scale of the work in the Junior School building
was one of the most challenging aspects of the project. This was due to other
additional works being undertaken at the same time, including the laying of new
flooring. With only a very short period of time to complete the works
and a strict deadline to work to, Novus worked carefully around other trades on
site to co-ordinate schedules.
As part of the project, Novus also refreshed the
exterior of the Prep School building, including the roughcast facia and
soffits. Crown Stronghold Smooth Masonry paint, guaranteed to last for 10
years, was specified in a neutral magnolia. Designed to effectively resist dirt
retention, the paint is anti-carbonation certified and offers excellent weather
resistance – ensuring the Prep School will withstand the elements for years to
come. Crown Full Gloss in charcoal grey was used for the exterior woodwork.
As well as refreshing
the campus road markings, the team also repainted the playground markings
including hopscotch and other traditional playground games, for the Junior and
Prep Schools, using a specialist Chlorinated Rubber paint in various colours.
David Yuill-Kirkwood, building and
contracts manager at Dollar Academy commented: “It was vital that all the
refurbishment work was completed before the start of the new school term and
the limited timescale meant there was no room for any delay. We were impressed
by Novus – the team worked closely with us throughout and altered their planned
schedule of works at times to fit in around other trades on site, which made
the whole process much smoother. The quality of finish is excellent and the
redecorated areas of the school look much brighter and fresher, and all
completed within budget.”
