Bradford
Rainbow Primary School
Sweco was appointed to design the grounds for a new primary school site in Bradford. Rainbow Primary School was part of the government free schools programme and at the time was one of the largest primary schools in Bradford with 525 pupils. Located on a former fire station in the centre of Bradford, the site is steeped with industrial history in an area of rich cultural and ethnic diversity.
Summary
- Client
- Bradford City Council & Kier Construction
- Dates
- 2013 – 2014
- Value
- £3.8 million
Project story
The design team addressed a number of challenges including land contamination, significant level changes and accommodating a way-leave.
The designed landscape supports the educational aspirations and inclusive culture of Rainbow Primary School with a multi-functional and flexible design. The landscape is the unifying element that creates a sense of place at the school. As a key part of the landscape ethos is learning through play and the environment, several teaching facilities were incorporated within the landscape scheme to support the school’s curriculum. For example, a sheltered seating area was installed to provide an area for more formal teaching methods, such as presentations.
Part of the remediation strategy of the site included the incorporation of a 600mm layer of topsoil to all soft landscaped areas. This was incorporated in the scheme layout by designing a series of terraces that provided interesting and exciting spaces at varying levels to support children’s play.
Key services
- Visualisation
- Outline Design
- Detailed Design
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Ecology & Habitat Creation