Sponne School, Northamptonshire

Case Study Highlights

Project	Sponne School, Northampton
Scope	ZONE Glazed Dining Hall 208m2

ZONE Dining Space 208m2

A bespoke glass build, creating a beautiful school dining room extension.

“It’s brilliant! It’s more open than the old one, so it doesn’t feel as cramped. Although the old section is still the same size because we have the new extension it makes it a much nicer place.” – Georgia, Year 10 Student.

THE CHALLENGE – Create a high-quality dining room extension and social space for up to 200 pupils, within a very tight budget

After successfully completing their new Sports Hall building financed by the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), Sponne School were pleasantly surprised to find construction costs coming in below expected. The school was in desperate need of a new dining room extension, with their current space only having capacity for less than 15% of pupils.

“Our current dining hall was just big enough for 150 spaces but we have 1350 students in the school and it clearly wasn’t big enough. The students all got fed in the lunch hour but had to take their food away in disposable containers and just grab a seat where they could, often on the floor in corridors or outside. We were in dire need of more indoor social space located near to the kitchen.” Sue Wagstaff – Business Manager at Sponne School.

Any new extension needed to connect with the existing dining room and facilities as a priority, as well as providing 100% extra floor space for students to relax in. The budget surplus, however, would not stretch to a traditional build and an alternative needed to be found – a more cost-effective solution that would still deliver on all requirements. The school asked Streetspace to help.

THE SOLUTION – A bespoke ZONE Dining Space for the school – a cost-effective glazed building

“We had looked at another company who had been in to quote and whilst we were waiting for this we had a call from Streetspace so we asked them to quote as well. The difference between the two companies was clear as Streetspace obviously knew their product very well and had suggestions and solutions to most of the questions and options we asked about.”

As soon as Sponne School asked us about possible options for dining room extensions, we knew we had the perfect solution. ZONE™ Glazed Structures are unique to Streetspace – bespoke glass buildings that integrate perfectly with existing structures – at a fraction of the cost of a tradition build. Fitting within the available budget, we created a large additional dining space for up to 200 pupils, transforming an unremarkable space outside into a bright, stylish and highly effective new dining room. The glass structure is more cost-effective and offers better durability than many traditional builds, and our design engineers take care of all heating, cooling, ventilation and insulation requirements. It creates the perfect covered space – protected from all the elements – all year round.

Georgia, a current year 10 student at Sponne school says: “Although the old section is still the same size because we have the new extension it makes it a much nicer place. The extension is well heated as well, so in the summer it’s quite cool, and in the winter it’s still warm which is very nice.”

THE RESULTS – A stunning, all-glass dining room extension that’s used by hundreds of pupils all year round

Staying within the tight budgets, Streetspace created this beautiful dining room extension for Sponne School – with all the benefits of a full traditional building extension at a fraction of the cost. The ZONE glazed building adds a highly functional space to the existing school, expanding lunchtime dining room capacity and offering a great place for students to relax and study throughout the day.

And the students clearly love their new space: “It is busy at all times from before school, during break, lunch and after school. The sixth form have also made use of it as a quiet study space where they can go and grab a coffee and do some work in a lovely light environment.” – Sue Wagstaff

“I know a lot of people come in here to study, especially during PE when mocks are on, but I mainly use it for chatting with friends and having my lunch,” adds Georgia.

Georgia and her friends think it was a great investment for the school because “it brings people together, this is the one area in the school where all years can just sit together, which is quite nice.”

And Sue and all the staff at Sponne School agree:

“I would recommend Streetspace and encourage other schools to come and have a look, as it is even better than we imagined when we started the project!”

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