Edgar Wood Academy - EOS

Designed by architects Sheppard Robson the new £17m Edgar Wood Academy was procured via the Department for Education’s (DfE’s) Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) Framework.

The secondary school for 900 students will serve the local communities of Heywood, Middleton, Birch and Langley in Rochdale and will be operated by the Altus Education Partnership. With a footprint of 6,720 sqm, the Edgar Wood Academy comprises a three-storey teaching block encompassing 23 general classrooms and 34 specialist classrooms, a sports hall, sports pitches, soft and hard play areas together with car parking. National contractor Wates Construction appointed EOS Framing to custom design, engineer and manufacture an advanced light steel Pre-Assembled Frames (PAF) system to ensure the project complies with the regulatory 70% PMV (Premanufacture Value) which has been set within the DfE’s framework agreement.

Developed through the collaborative strength of Etex brands, EOS Framing, Siniat, Promat and FSi – Pre-Assembled Frames are our helping customers reduce risk and operate with more certainty and confidence at every stage of the construction journey. A fully engineered ‘through the wall’ panelised infill system which can be applied to steel or concrete primary structural frames. The PAF system for the Edgar Wood Academy was precision cut to length, prefabricated and preassembled offsite in controlled factory conditions – virtually eliminating onsite waste. The custom-manufactured non-loadbearing infill systems were delivered to site as assembled panelised units encapsulating light steel framing and external Siniat Weather Defence sheathing ready for glass mineral wool insulation and Siniat internal wall linings to be applied onsite.

The PAF system was installed circa 30-40% faster than traditional stud and track infill, allowing for rapid construction, and savings in prelims in time and cost. The system is
designed to be fitted from inside the building, resulting in minimal scaffolding requirements, delivering further costs and programme savings. Fully fire tested with a bespoke deflection system and a novel fire stopping gasket solution designed by Etex partner Fsi specifically for the PAF system, to fire stop the gaps around the frame which interface with the primary structure tolerances. After having completed rigorous fire, acoustic, weathering, airtightness and mechanical testing – our PAF systems are supported by a 30-year product and perfomance Etex warranty.

Offering 60-minutes fire resistance these light steel unitised systems make use of the latest products, technical know-how and manufacturing excellence of the combined Etex team.