Boyes Rees Architects has won two of the largest architectural contracts in Wales awarded so far this year with a completed project value of £83m.
The Cardiff based practice has been appointed by contractor Wilmott Dixon and Cardiff City Council to take forward the design of a new school in Cardiff as part of a £50m investment package. The funding includes £27m from the Welsh Government.
The new St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School is being built on the site of Llanedeyrn High School by local contractor Willmott Dixon.
Gary Loo, senior director at Boyes Rees said: “The new, purpose built school will be a landmark structure with a capacity for 1,440 local pupils. Work has now started onsite and completion is scheduled for September 2013.”
A new Welsh-medium high school, with a capacity for 1,114 pupils, will be established on the current St Teilo’s school, on Llanedeyrn Road, Penylan, once the students relocate to meet the increasing demand for Welsh medium education across the city.
Neal Stephens, managing director of Willmott Dixon, said: “Willmott Dixon has extensive experience in the education sector and this new-build school will facilitate 21st century learning in a modern environment.
“Our relationship with Cardiff Council dates back more than a century when we built the landmark City Hall, Cardiff University, War Memorial and original Cardiff Central Library. We are proud to be continuing this relationship in the modern day to deliver quality buildings such as the new St Teilo’s school and look forward to working with the local community throughout the project.”
Meanwhile, Boyes Rees has also been engaged by contractor Interserve and Merthyr Tydfil College to provide post-tender design development for the new £33m college building, which will transform education in the Heads of the Valleys region and support the regeneration agenda for Merthyr Tydfil.
Working with project management consultancy Davis Langdon, the College @ Merthyr Tydfil will replace the existing Merthyr Tydfil College and forms part of the 21st Century Schools programme.
Part of the University of Glamorgan Group, the new facility will open in September 2013 and will incorporate Merthyr Tydfil’s sixth form provision, in addition to the existing college activity, creating a new tertiary education hub in the heart of South Wales.
Significantly bigger than the existing building, it will embrace cutting edge technology with state of the art IT, sport and leisure, student and community facilities.
Gary continued: “Construction has commenced on the five storey college which totals 14,000 sq m. It will be built to BREEAM excellent standard rating, with state of the art design and materials and high consideration to sustainability and environmentally friendly measures.
“Features include biomass boiler, high insulation values, pv solar panels, natural ventilation, partial SUDS rainwater disposal, use of recycled content and solar controlled glass.
The plans are part of wider Welsh Government investment and the transformation agenda, designed to improve learning prospects for young people in Merthyr Tydfil and Blaenau Gwent and to support the regeneration of the Merthyr Tydfil area.
Commenting on both contract wins, Gary said: “We are thrilled with these two project wins, which are testament to our exemplary credentials in the education sector.
“We are also currently working on a teaching and learning block in Carmarthen for the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, a campus in Nantgarw for Coleg Morgannwg and Cardiff University’s new business school.”
Based on Greyfriars Road, Boyes Rees is one of Wales’ largest and longest established architectural practices. As well as education, it operates across a number of sectors including healthcare, retail and leisure and mainstream residential.
In 2011, the firm opened a London office in Mayfair to service its growing client base in London and the south east.