Reaching new heights at Putney High School

On Wednesday 30 September 2020, Jerram Falkus Construction hosted a Topping out Ceremony on site at Putney High School, part of the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST). The ceremony is a traditional celebration held to mark reaching the full height of the framework of a building structure and the nearing of project completion.

Jerram Falkus commenced Putney High School’s new cross-curricular, Science, Music, Drama and Debating Centre designed by Broadway Malyan Architects last summer. The new building will provide; nine new science laboratories, a drama studio, new music department and a forum space to develop the practice of performance. The facilities will replace the former timber framed, brick and glass clad science block that was built in the early 1970s.

John Foskett, Construction Director of Jerram Falkus said, “We wish to thank everyone who has been involved in the project to date and has worked so hard to get to this stage. The project has presented many challenges which we have been proud to play a part in overcoming. We are delighted to be here marking this achievement and construction milestone with the School, the Trust and some of the students. We look forward to meeting again for the official opening next year.”

The new building will increase the amount of teaching space and will offer a more focused and flexible learning environment for the students. Staff members from Putney High School, the Trust and five students joined Jerram Falkus for a brief tour of the site to view the progress and to experience the view from the rooftop.

Headmistress Suzie Longstaff said, “It was a fantastic to share this important moment (and certainly ‘high point’) in the history of Putney High School and the GDST, with the students from our Student Build Committee who have been involved throughout.”

Constructed mainly of London brick and inspired by classical proportions, the building will feature copper clad strips alongside the main windows. The south-facing facade at the heart of the building has a colonnade which provides solar shading to minimise heat and glare, whilst maximising daylight into the teaching spaces.

Girls’ Day School Trust CEO, Cheryl Giovannoni said, “The GDST is committed to creating learning spaces for students that bring to life our mission of helping girls learn without limits.  This space represented an exciting opportunity to create an environment with sustainability at its core, and a strong signal of the confidence in the future of girls’ education.  The new building at Putney High School is an exemplar of bringing our vision to life, and I could not be prouder of the way this project has unfolded over the past few challenging months.” Works are set to be completed by early September 2021.

Looking for construction work for your school or education project? Jerram Falkus would be delighted to help. Contact us today! 

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