Portakabin comes to the rescue of fire damaged school

When a fire broke out at Derby-based Sinfin Community School, earlier this year, the blaze destroyed a total of 23 classrooms, as well as a lecture theatre and large administration area.  

In order to provide high-quality accommodation to get all 1,000 pupils back in to full time education as quickly as possible, the school turned to modular building supplier Portakabin. The company provided the school with its exact requirements. This included 93 Ultima modules that were relocated from another school in Nottingham where they were no longer needed, in just six weeks.

Nathalie Hannath, Manager at the Portakabin Derby Hire Centre, said: ‘When it transpired that the requirements for Sinfin school could be met by the buildings at the Nottingham school it made perfect sense to relocate them from one site to the other.’

The ability to re-site modular buildings is one of their key benefits. The very nature of the modular building system means that minimal foundation works are required. Simple pad foundations are laid, which need only the smallest amount of excavation, which in turn means that the buildings can be easily moved from site to site. The relocation of the buildings took just six weeks from start to handover.

In addition, the company provided eight Portaloo toilet units, boys and girls changing rooms with showers, a drama block and a building containing a dining room and offices that was designed and constructed to meet the school’s needs.

The school has also benefited from a Portakabin AirCare climate control system that provides heating and cooling, allowing a building’s temperature to be precisely controlled all year round. In addition ramps and steps were provided by Portakabin Access along with a fire and security system from Portakabin Protecta.

Nathalie continued: ‘Even though the buildings were in excellent condition we fully refurbished them. The school has also taken full advantage of the one-stop-shop solutions for Hire offered by Portakabin.’

Portakabin one-stop-shop solutions for hire offer everything customers need to complete their building projects and create the right environment for any type of business or organisation. From the necessary groundworks right through to the installation of quality classroom furniture, Portakabin can take care of everything.

Steve Monks, Head Teacher at the school said: ‘We were extremely impressed with the service that we received from Portakabin, and were amazed that a building of such size could be transported from one site to another. 

‘The fact that all the groundworks could be taken care of meant that we didn’t have to arrange to have this done by a third party and there was no need to co-ordinate activities between them and Portakabin. 

‘All in all we’re really pleased with the buildings and most importantly, the kids think they’re great.’

For further information about Portakabin products and services contact your local Hire Centre direct on 0845 355 0350

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