With our expert help, Harwood Hill in Welland Garden City, turned an empty space into a valuable extra recreational area during the Covid-19 pandemic. This previously unloved space went from surplus and forgotten to a sweet and picket-fenced school extension, in just a matter of days. Incredibly simple to design and build, yet safe and inviting for the school’s Covid bubbles and its teachers, this fenced-off rectangle of rubber wet pour complemented the look and feel of the school building perfectly. 

THE BRIEF

Building for bubbles

School staff were in desperate need of space and were keen to expand on land adjacent to their classrooms. Outdoor space was needed to accommodate more of the school’s Covid bubbles in the fresh air. This rectangular slice of the school field had presented itself as a possible site for development, but the going was tough – it was grassy, unloved and unfit for purpose.

THE DESIGN

Beautiful break-out space

The clean lines and smooth surface of our transformative design aimed to deliver a fenced-off space for socially distanced break times. We recommended a classic black, EPDM rubber wet pour surface, which would be seamless in appearance and available within the school’s budget. A low timber picket fence was factored into our design as a means to soften the space, while providing an all-important boundary line around the children. Light could flood into the space, which brought a safe, clean and inviting solution to a school that was coping with Covid-19 and all of the associated facilities challenges.

THE RESULTS

From zero to hero

This valuable extra space was transformed from a barren strip of land into an inviting setting, ideal for primary school bubbles. Classic, high-quality surfaces formed the foundation upon which we built a perimeter fence with charming character. School children and teaching staff welcomed the new space as a place to play and relax during these unprecedented times for the education sector.