The London Oratory School is a highly successful Catholic day school for boys aged 7-18 years, with a mixed 6th form. It caters for approximately 1400 students.

The works sought to unlock valuable space within the courtyard by enclosing it with an ETFE roof at fourth floor level. Our project delivered 500sqm of additional teaching accommodation in four new classrooms and the extension of a further 23 classrooms. A central library and IT facility delivered an additional 263sqm learning resources space.

Extended walkways on the upper levels creates informal teaching and group working areas and the introduction of a new staircase reduces congestion.

The project included the addition of a first floor to the existing single storey administration wing to provide offices and meeting rooms with a tea prep area and wheelchair accessible WC.

The new corridor superstructure was erected by a trailer mounted tower crane brought into the courtyard via an access tunnel. Steelwork was erected using this tower crane. The new steel frame was constructed with the balconies installed at each lift to tie the new structure into the old before progressing onto the next level.

Together with atrium scaffolding this gave a working platform at each level of the next lift. Once the steel structure was completed the upstands were formed and the ETFE roof fitted.

Erection of final elements and the composite space frame type “girders” were by mobile crane stood outside the building footprint. Girders were assembled at ground level and erected as a single piece in order to avoid costly temporary works.

The ETFE roof was erected by means of mobile access platforms within the courtyard and it was essential to have new drainage outlets in place to take run off from the roof. Once the roof was weathertight fitting out works commenced to the circulation balconies. In tandem with these the “pod” offices were installed.