Riverwalk School

Suffolk County Council’s reorganisation of schools in the Bury St Edmunds area resulted in a site becoming available to facilitate a purpose built, wheelchair-friendly facility for pupils ages 3-19 with severe and complex learning needs. Riverwalk School replaced the redundant and dilapidated former Hardwick Middle School building.

The Requirement

The single-storey timber-clad education building surrounded by expansive open fields creates a stimulating teaching and learning environment. Concertus used the specification of canopies to not only provide attractive outdoor covered learning areas but also to make an eye-catching design statement.

Whilst the anthracite grey powder coated aluminium frame of the canopy blends in with the window frames and roof trim, the seven contrasting roof sheet colours provide a stunning contrast that lifts the building from the ordinary to stunning.

Furthermore, post protectors were added to the frames to ensure the canopies created a safe environment as well as an aesthetically pleasing one.

The Installation

We surveyed, designed, manufactured and installed all seven canopies, measuring over 190m in total, on time and within budget.

Our dedicated on-site project manager and installation team liaised closely with the groundwork sub-contractors, ensuring that concrete pad stones were correctly located for fixing the canopy posts.

The lean-to structures were fixed directly to the walls of the building, with a sub-contractor installing timber cladding around each canopy to create an exceptionally neat finish. The architect requested that the colour sequence of the roof panels was followed throughout.

The Outcome

As can be seen from the pictures, the canopies add a colourful element to the school and enhance the look of the new building. The clean lines of the structure are a result of our innovative integral gutter system which conceals the gutter and downpipe within the structure, meaning there are no visible plastic gutters and clips to fade and crack over time.

The end result is an aesthetically stunning canopy system, breathing life into the school buildings and allowing students outside protection from rain, wind and also harmful UV rays.

Our WeatherSpan® Canopy range is made entirely of corrosion-free materials (aluminium and polycarbonate) and are much more cost-effective than bespoke steel canopies with their associated engineering and fabrication costs. If you’d like to discuss a canopy for your project, contact us here and our expert team will happily assist you.

What They Say

“The building has been transformed into a first-class teaching and learning environment for some of our most vulnerable young people.” – Joy Stodart, Health, Wellbeing and Children’s Services, Suffolk County Council

“The project exceeded the client’s expectations through the creation of an extension which was sympathetic to the design of the original building. Despite a tight deadline and budget pressures, we completed ahead of the programme. Handing over the building two weeks early allowed the school sufficient time to prepare before the start of the new Autumn term” – Concertus Design & Property Consultants