CASE STUDY: Stellar science room revamp for St Catherine’s School

<p>Due to the outdated nature of their science labs&comma; a need emerged to refresh and energise the existing space&period; We were engaged to modernise the labs and create a flexible environment for both staff and students to interact with educational material&comma; encouraging classroom participation&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<blockquote>&NewLine;<p>A total of five labs were refitted and contained all standardised services focusing power&comma; data&comma; gas and water&period; There was an emphasis on safety with extra precautions including safety eye washes inside and outside each lab and emergency shower facilities&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;blockquote>&NewLine;<h3><strong>A solution that works for staff and students<&sol;strong><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>We worked closely with St Catherine’s to understand the brief and took into consideration stakeholder requirements&period; The prime objective was to achieve a clean fresh finish&comma; provide better facilities and ensure students were excited and inspired to work within the new classroom environment&period;  <&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;18838" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-18838" style&equals;"width&colon; 200px" class&equals;"wp-caption alignleft"><img class&equals;"size-medium wp-image-18838" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;school-news&period;com&period;au&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;07&sol;AM&lowbar;StCath&lowbar;061&lowbar;High-Copy-200x300&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"200" height&equals;"300" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-18838" class&equals;"wp-caption-text">Image supplied by Amicus<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<p>There was an increased need for flexibility to move furniture and create more open spaces to foster collaboration&period; Equipment was meticulously positioned to ensure the best functionality of the space&period; The project was designed by our in-house team providing a turnkey solution and central point of contact&period; The full project was managed from design to manufacturing including coordination of all trades involved including demolition&comma; partitions&comma; flooring&comma; electrical&comma; AV&comma; hydraulics and painting&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Complying with strict safety standards&comma; laboratories were installed with gas safety shut off  valves&period; Chemical grade compact laminate Bench tops were used to ensure chemical resistance and stainless-steel grade 316 sinks &&num;8211&semi; marine grade for additional chemical resistance and longevity&period; The teacher’s demonstration bench was fitted with an emergency electronic gas shut off valve&period; A special under bench area was crafted to allow for student laptops&period; Outdated projectors were removed and reinstalled fitted with new HDMI cover plates to maintain careful attention to detail&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3><strong>Benefit<&sol;strong><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>The product is a laboratory space which has received positive uptake from teachers and students alike&period; The bespoke safety features fitted to specific requirements&comma; different coloured frames to differentiate the labs&comma; improved demonstration bench&comma; sufficient standing space and storage all contribute to overall value of the project&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<blockquote>&NewLine;<p>The labs have been transformed into a professional-looking teaching and learning environment&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><span style&equals;"background-color&colon; &num;ffffff&semi; color&colon; &num;2b2b2b&semi; font-size&colon; 16px&semi;">&&num;8211&semi; Sera Hurley&comma; Head of Science&comma; St Catherine’s School<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;blockquote>&NewLine;<p>Amicus walked the stakeholders through preliminary design&comma; offered technical perspective&comma; assisted with material selection to ensure better functional properties and provided a tour of previous project&comma; Ravenswood School which had similar design requirements&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;18839" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-18839" style&equals;"width&colon; 680px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"size-full wp-image-18839" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;school-news&period;com&period;au&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;07&sol;AM&lowbar;StCath&lowbar;054&lowbar;High-Copy&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"680" height&equals;"453" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-18839" class&equals;"wp-caption-text">Image supplied by Amicus<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<p>Striking the right balance between functionality and cost&comma; and delivered within timeline parameters&comma; St Catherine’s School are the proud recipients of an educational space set to benefit generations of students to follow&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3><strong>Response from the school community<&sol;strong><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p><em>School News<&sol;em> approached Barry Madden the Facilities Manager at St Catherine’s School to talk about how the school responded to the renovation of the school’s five science laboratories&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;18837" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-18837" style&equals;"width&colon; 680px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"size-full wp-image-18837" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;school-news&period;com&period;au&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;07&sol;AM&lowbar;StCath&lowbar;010&lowbar;High-Copy&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"680" height&equals;"453" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-18837" class&equals;"wp-caption-text">Image supplied by Amicus<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<p>The original &lpar;pre-renovated&rpar; laboratories needed attention&period; They were old and Barry described walking into them and feeling as though he had gone through a time machine because some dated back to the 1960s and 1970s&period; Now&comma; after an incredible transformation he says the labs look like a seriously up-to-date science block and feel like a university&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<blockquote>&NewLine;<p>The labs were completely refurbished with new flooring&comma; furniture&comma; walls&comma; and even the lighting was replaced with cutting-edge LEDs&period; The rooms have become much safer and much more functional&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;blockquote>&NewLine;<p>With new benches&comma; storage&comma; and seating&comma; they are ergonomically designed&comma; making them much more comfortable to work in&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Amicus was chosen to complete the project due to its solid record of experience in science lab renovation and its profound ability to complete the entire work within a fixed frame – during the summer break&period; The school team was able to look at a science lab that Amicus previously completed in another school and&comma; impressed with what they saw&comma; moved ahead with the design process&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<blockquote>&NewLine;<p>Many students remarked that they felt like scientists as soon as they walked into the room&excl;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><span style&equals;"background-color&colon; &num;ffffff&semi; color&colon; &num;2b2b2b&semi; font-size&colon; 16px&semi;">&&num;8211&semi; Sera Hurley&comma; Head of Science&comma; St Catherine’s School<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;blockquote>&NewLine;<p>About St Catherine’s School’s new science block&comma; Barry added&colon; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I am happy to say that we are very satisfied with our new science block&semi; it is a big win for the school&period; Both students and teachers love it&excl; The lighter&comma; brighter and more modern environment has addressed all of the problems we experienced in the old labs&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;