The Project:

In Northamptonshire, there has been a 9% increase in the number of children attending a special educational needs school over the last few years. Red Kite Academy was created to deliver much needed school places for children with a range of learning difficulties and special educational needs.

The benefits of offsite construction were successfully realised when Innovaré teamed up with Architecture Initiative and Ashe Construction to create a new and innovative design to deliver a high quality, airtight, energy efficient building using Innovaré’s i-SIP System. The Red Kite Academy provides an inclusive and welcoming environment for a hundred pupils with additional educational needs.

Together with the usual educational provisions, the Academy includes a hydrotherapy pool, a sensory suite and a studio flat to help prepare pupils for independent life. The Academy is designed to be flexible and adaptable, providing the capability to suit pupils with additional physical and educational needs. Early design collaboration between Innovare, Ashe Construction and Architectural Initiative enabled the delivery of an efficiently designed scheme. The design teams collaborated to ensure that the design met the specialist requirements set out by the client.

Regular team meetings between Innovaré, Ashe Construction and Architectural Initiative meant that a robust schedule for delivery was agreed in advance and design for M & E services was incorporated within the manufacture of the panels to avoid onsite clashes.

Delivered two weeks ahead of schedule, the development achieved a rapid build programme using advanced timber technology. The enhanced performance benefits achieved using the i-SIP System, will reduce ongoing maintenance and energy consumption costs across the lifecycle of the building.

Tom O’Dwyer, on behalf of the trust, said: “We are thrilled to finally take this crucial step as we move towards providing a desperately needed resource for the children and their families. We look forward with immense anticipation to seeing Red Kite Academy take its place in the family of wonderful Northamptonshire special schools.”