Work starts on 10 PFI primary schools in Leeds

The Leeds office of consulting engineers White Young Green, as part of the QED consortium set up by Wates Group, has reached financial close on a £25 million PFI scheme to build 10 primary schools in Leeds. The other consortium partners are Watson & Batty Architects and Hyder Business Services providing facilities-management services. Day-to-day project management is by Education Leeds, an arms-length company wholly owned by Leeds City Council. Grahame Kelly, director of WYG, says, ‘The multi-disciplinary nature of our work allows us to offer a wide range of support to projects of this nature. We have worked closely with Education Leeds, the school head teachers and Leeds City Council to ensure our designs address all of their needs, providing flexibility in use and a sustainable design solution. It is a demanding programme, so effective teamwork will be essential.’ WYG’s M&E team was involved in preparing detailed concepts featuring energy-efficient design using its specially developed state-of-the-art software for integrated environmental systems. Construction has now started, and all 10 schools are to be handed over for the school year commencing September 2005.