Terrapin Builds Children's Centre and Pre-School Facility İn Hounslow

Following a competitive tender, Terrapin has been selected to build a Children’s Centre and Pre-School facility on behalf of the London Borough of Hounslow (LBH), after the company demonstrated it was able to meet the exact specification that the council wanted and within budget, with a bespoke design of building based on its Unitrex system. The whole project was completed in around 19 weeks, including interior fit-out, demonstrating the capabilities and rapid response provided by Terrapin.

Adrian Day, Managing Director of Terrapin, explains: “Many local authorities are recognising how offsite construction can provide a high specification building that meets with aesthetic, performance and cost requirements. This is a great example of how our innovative approach to modular building has delivered a bespoke solution that meets the specification perfectly.”

The building was project managed on behalf of LBH by Sue Archer of Archer Consulting Ltd, a consultancy specialising in the delivery of educational buildings for local authorities. The in-house corporate property team from LBH managed the construction process.

Sue Archer from ACL said: “We are really pleased with the new building as it meets exactly the client’s requirements for this project. As we have extensive experience in the specification of buildings of this type, we knew exactly what products work well for use by children and practitioners. Terrapin was able to meet the brief and delivered a fully working building within a short timeframe.”

The 250m2 building features an attractive PermaRock pacific blue exterior, with striking aesthetics that complement the neighbouring day centre for the elderly. The rear of the building features an attractive Western red cedar finish that further enhances its aesthetics close to the outside play area.

The wall panels were produced to a bespoke design, with a special height and width to meet the very specific requirements of the build.

The building features overhanging trusses, which create a canopy and it also has a hipped roof that complements the aesthetics of the day centre next door. In addition, there is a void in the roof trusses where the building’s services are stored.

Aluminium windows and doorsets were specified in a bespoke design to meet the clients’ requirements and are complemented by aluminium roof tiles. The building features a playroom, consulting room, pre-school classroom and group room. The children’s centre also takes advantage of the very latest sustainable technologies, with an innovative rainwater harvesting system within the building. This includes guttering and collector tanks to the exterior of the building, with the water used to flush WCs inside the Children’s Centre. The building features a concrete floor built on a floating raft foundation, which provides a more solid and robust floor solution.