Ysgol Bae Baglan (Baglan Bay School)
Project type - New build
Year completed - 2016
Project location - Seaway Parade, Port Talbot, SA12 7BL
Client - Neath Port Talbot Council
Main contractor - Bouygues UK
Services provided - Design, manufacture, supply and installation
Products used - 27 swing gates, 2.5 miles of fencing, 13 cycle shelters, 78 cycle hoops, 96 stainless steel bollards, 53 bespoke colour-coded benches, litter bins, bin/recycling stores with roofs
Ysgol Bae Baglan is the first of a new type of Super School in Wales, replacing four schools with one for 1600 pupils aged 3-16. Being the first, the client and main design/build Contractor wanted Ysgol Bae Baglan to be truly outstanding in terms of quality and facilities. The head teacher also had a clear vision for the new academy. All of the fencing, gates and street furniture had to fit within the overall design concept and all fencing and gates had to be Secured by Design, yet the budget on the £40 million project was very tight.
Procter Contracts worked closely with the main contractor, architect and head teacher to ensure all the goals were met. For example, the academy and architect provided an initial concept for the feature gates, from which Procter Contracts developed detailed designs for bespoke gates that met the necessary safety standards and could be manufactured cost-effectively. The gates were then fabricated in Procter’s own factory in Bedwas, Caerphilly, powder coated in the specified shade of grey and white, and installed.
Most of the school’s fencing, gates and street furniture were value engineered to remove cost while still meeting the functional and aesthetic requirements. One example of this was the 53 bespoke colour-coded fibreglass seating units that were finished in the school’s distinctive purple.
Main contractor feedback
Luke Owen, Bouygues UK’s quantity surveyor for the Ysgol Bae Baglan project, was very pleased with Procter Contracts’ involvement, saying: “Procter Contracts successfully delivered the fencing and street furniture package at Ysgol Bae Baglan. There was a broad spectrum of products from bespoke feature gates to conceptual seating, then to your more common items such as Secure by Design fencing, cycle shelters, bollards and the like.
“Procter worked closely with us from the outset to value engineer the specification to enable the client to have everything on his wish list. The products that were manufactured by Procter were of an excellent standard and they were able to significantly reduce lead in times which was fantastic on such a fast-paced project. Procter successfully managed the purchasing and delivery of products which come from specialist manufacturers, keeping us informed of delivery dates and the like. Procter assisted with the design process by meeting our architect to look at the bespoke gates, which resulted in a safer, improved gate design which improved the quality of the final product and reduced the cost. The whole offsite process was excellent.
“The high standards of the design and manufacture process were replicated by the site installation process. Procter adequately resourced the project to achieve increasingly stringent programme constraints. All key dates in their sub-contract were met or improved on and there were no surprises in the final account, which was agreed very swiftly and with little effort. Any snags that were identified by the Client were taken seriously and Procter put a gang on site to solely deal with these items and close out within the agreed timescales.
“On the whole a first class service both operationally and commercially.”