Local sub-contractors are being sought to help build and equip the new £29 million Harris Academy in Dundee.
The 1930s Perth Road school will be demolished and a new 15,000 square metre building will be erected in its place as part of a £500 million investment programme by the hub East Central Scotland Company Limited covering construction projects throughout Tayside, Fife and Forth Valley.
Demolition is scheduled to begin in the autumn once the school has been decanted to the Rockwell site in Lawton Road.
The new four-storey building for 1,200 pupils is due to be completed in June 2016, and should be fully operational for the start of the 2016/17 session in August.
Robertson, the infrastructure, support services and construction group, is delivering the project for hub East Central and is holding a meet the buyer event to give local sub-contractors the chance to join the supply chain and win some of the work packages available during the three-year project.
Malcolm MacLeod, hub director for Robertson, said: “Our meet the buyer event is a chance for local sub-contractors and tradespeople to meet the project team and find out how they might get involved in the construction of the new Harris Academy, which will provide a sustainable, state-of-the-art school for local pupils.”
Ian Mullen, chairman of hub East Central Scotland, said: “The hub East Central programme will deliver well-designed, affordable and sustainable community facilities throughout the territory and will generate many opportunities for local contractors.”
Dundee City West MSP Joe FitzPatrick said: “It is good news that local contractors will be getting involved in the Harris project.
“There will be many opportunities for local contractors throughout the lifetime of the project and this will bring a significant boost to local jobs.
“The new school will be of a modern design, will be eco-friendly, efficient and cost-effective with state-of-the-art facilities as part of the Scottish Government’s school building programme, Building Better Schools: Investing in Our Future.
“The new Harris will be a huge asset to Dundee, building on the excellence of the Harris tradition and record and some of its new facilities will be open to community use.”
The architects believe they can deliver an outstanding educational building for its staff and pupils which meets and exceeds the aspirations of staff and students and delivers an inspirational teaching environment for future generations.
Planning permission for the project has still to be granted but Holmes Miller have explained their approach to the design in their planning application to the council.
The architects have said the proposed building will feature high-quality, durable and robust materials and is designed to present a sophisticated, refined and appropriate form within the reputable area of Dundee.
The building will rise two storeys over Perth Road, at a similar height to the existing building.
It will move down the slope towards the south where there will be the additional floor levels aligning with site topography and creating a cascading terraced form that fits with the slope and integrates into the site.
The Robertson meet the buyer event will be held from 10am-4pm at Queen’s Hotel.
To register interest, contact i.hill@robertson.co.uk.