Morgan Sindall has begun construction work on a £29m primary school in Port Talbot after being appointed by the local council.
The contractor’s Wales business commenced construction of Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Rhosafan following its appointment through the South West Wales Regional Contractors Framework.
Neath Port Talbot Council is the client on the scheme to deliver 420 places for pupils aged three to 11, including 90 nursery places, 12 additional learning needs places and 16 places in a Welsh-language immersion unit.
Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Rhosafan is being delivered in two phases and is scheduled for completion in 2028. It will include 14 classrooms, two additional learning needs classrooms, a childcare and nursery facility, and staff accommodation.
Morgan Sindall said it will also build community facilities, including training rooms, a community space, meeting rooms and a dance studio.
External works include three multi-use games areas, landscaped zones and a forest school area with a walking route.
The tier one contractor is constructing a 110-space car park using permeable surfacing and bio-retention rain gardens as part of a sustainable drainage strategy.
The development includes a two-storey, 810 square metre steel-frame building alongside a single-storey timber-frame structure forming a winter garden.
The covered space is designed to support outdoor learning throughout the year.
Arcadia Architects led the design team, with Stantec providing civil, structural and mechanical and electrical engineering.
The school is one of three pilot schemes in the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Schools Challenge, which aims to deliver net-zero operational carbon and involve end users in design development.
Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Rhosafan is targeting BREEAM Outstanding and Secure by Design standards.
It will use timber and steel construction methods to reduce embodied carbon while maintaining flexibility and durability, Morgan Sindall said.
Source: Morgan Sindall announcement
