Case study · School / campus
Outdoor Learning Space
An outdoor “room” that earns its keep — teaching by day, events and hire when the timetable allows.
Impact metrics
Capacity & utilisation
How the outdoor room earns its place: usable area, community use, structural life and parallel teaching capacity.
Weather-ready deck & circulation
Community & evening lettings per year
Year structural design life (spec-led)
Parallel class groups outdoors (timetable gain)
Value here is teaching capacity, lettings and easier flow indoors — not a single cost-per-square-metre figure in isolation.
Outdoor space only counts if staff trust it in January — structure, drainage and finishes as one system.
Film
See the space in use
Brief
Challenge & strategic response
Turning an exposed yard into a room — without a new build.
The challenge
Halls oversubscribed, yard under-used
Indoor capacity was stretched; the adjacent yard was level but exposed. Leadership needed a defined outdoor room — edges, services and finishes that would survive assemblies, parents’ events and Scottish weather.
Our response
Integrated structure & ground solution
We treated structure, drainage and surfacing as a single technical story — so staff spend time teaching, not managing puddles or trip hazards. Flows at class change and pickup informed guarding and lighting positions.
Scope
What we packaged
Clear split between our accountable works and client-supplied upgrades.
In scope
- Canopy / pergola structure with wind & snow load appropriate to site
- Integrated drainage and non-slip deck or paved finishes
- Power and lighting positions for events (where specified)
- Coordination with safeguarding, access and fire routes
- Phased build protecting term-time safety
Out of scope / interfaces
- Main building electrical upgrades unless separately instructed
- AV / PA hire for one-off events
- Furniture supply unless included in brief
- Ongoing lettings administration
Outcomes
What the outdoor room unlocks
Teaching capacity, estates confidence, community hire and year-round outdoor use — tied to how the school actually runs the week.
01
Teaching
Reliable outdoor venue for lessons and performances — less competition for hall slots.
02
Estates
Documented drainage and finishes reduce reactive repairs and winter incidents.
03
Community hire
Defined space supports lettings narrative — lighting and access thought through.
04
Wellbeing
More confident outdoor time supports Active & Included indicators when use is truly year-round.
Manufacturing & fabrication
Structure, coatings & interfaces
Canopy, structure and deck tie in with foundations, drainage and paving as one programme — setting-out, stage inspections and as-built detail captured for handover to estates.
Structural steel / timber
Calculated members and connections; galvanising or intumescent coatings per exposure class.
Roofing & drainage
Gutters, downpipes and soakaways coordinated — no ad-hoc ponding on deck.
Deck / paving systems
Non-slip finishes, movement joints and falls to gullies — sampled before bulk install.
Services penetrations
Weatherproof details for power, data and future AV — labelled on record drawings.
Factory QA
Weld inspections / coating thickness checks where specification demands.
Protective build
Sequences to protect new work during adjacent trades — fewer repeat visits.
Programme
Typical timeline — term-aware
Phasing when the school stays occupied — we align noise, access and safeguarding with your term dates.
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Weeks 1–2
Brief freeze & survey
Confirm levels, existing drains, safeguarding lines and event use cases.
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Weeks 3–6
Technical design
Structural package, M&E cut-outs, finishes schedule and procurement.
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Weeks 7–10
Fabrication
Off-site steel / timber; long-lead coatings and decking materials ordered.
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Weeks 11–14
Site install
Foundations, structure, roof, deck; phased access for pupils.
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Week 15
Commissioning
Electrical tests, drainage flush, snag closure and handover walkthrough.
Delivery & handover
Operational readiness
What estates and senior leadership receive at completion.
- As-built drawings and O&M manual entries for structure and drainage
- Inspection and cleaning schedule aligned to existing site team capacity
- Warranty certificates and manufacturer contacts
- Recorded snag list with closure dates
- Recommended maximum occupancy notes for events (if engineered)
- CPD pointers for midday / lettings staff on safe use
Client perspective
We gained usable outdoor capacity without waiting for a new build. The structure and surfacing were specified honestly for Scottish weather, and lettings are simpler now we have a defined outdoor room.
Representative of the feedback we aim for on similar commissions — we can share context on request.
Wellbeing
SHANARRI & everyday use
More time outdoors supports Active and Included when the space is usable year-round — not a fair-weather experiment.
Explore each SHANARRI indicator for how outdoor construction supports wellbeing framing.
Wellbeing & ImpactCapacity is not only square metres indoors — it is confidence to teach and gather outside without apology.
