The Laing O鈥橰ourke/Atkins method claims to be 30% cheaper than traditional on-site building methods. They say that they can design and build a school within 18 months to the standard specifications outlined in the government鈥檚 construction strategy.
Contractor Laing O鈥橰ourke and consultant Atkins were involved in the design and delivery of more than a third of schools under the old Building Schools for the Future scheme.
They claim that Laing O鈥橰ourke鈥檚 investment in off-site manufacturing capability and Atkins鈥� technical and management expertise can produce quality school buildings more quickly and cheaply.
This kind of standardisation was one of the key recommendations of the government鈥檚 recent
Atkins education director Philip Watson said: 鈥淭his design and delivery approach is both unique and proven in the market, and is actively honed and refined on major school building programmes underway in the UK right now.
鈥淭he blue-print utilises a kit of parts that responds to the needs of the end-user.聽 This allows us to create a large variety of flexible, customised layouts that deliver huge cost efficiencies at a time when every penny must count鈥�.
Laing O鈥橰ourke鈥檚 European CEO Roger Robinson said: 鈥淲hile many of our competitors are simply talking about what鈥檚 possible, we are delivering our unique sustainable schools solution in the UK today. 聽This is possible because of the investment we have made in our state-of-the art manufacturing facility, together with our direct employment model, which gives us the surety and control necessary to build standardised schools better, faster and for less. Our approach complements the government鈥檚 recently announced priority school building programme and the wider aims to achieve better buildings and better value鈥�.
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