Edlington Victoria primary school in Doncaster is a traditionally built red brick construction, Which opened in 1912 and is designed around a quadrangle surrounded by an enclosed games area and playing fields.
The property has been regularly maintained by Doncaster MBC over the years but was starting to show its age. It is, after all, over 100 years old. One of the key findings from the preliminary investigations was the need to replace the badly damaged parapet stone units throughout the school.
However, one of the criteria laid down by the Council was to ensure that any replacement profiles reflected the aesthetic look of the existing building as well as complement the surrounding architecture. The solution was to use Stone-Coat – an alternative to natural or cast stone, and chosen for versatility and light weight.
According to Building Inspector, Tom Hunter from Doncaster MBC, Stone-Coat proved to be an ideal response to the problem of recreating the size and contours of the existing copings. Manufacturer, Build-Lite (UK) Ltd, were able to match the size of the existing profiles, the intricate detailing and supply replacement parapets at a lower cost and quicker time scale than if we had used cast stone.
One of the major advantages in using Stone-Coat in this sort of situation is its total design flexibility and unlimited colour and finish options. A perfect solution when matching profiles from existing buildings. This was highlighted in this project as the product’s versatility easily adapted to the anomalies imposed by a 100 year old building, where no two elevations or gables are the same.
In addition to the cost saving over conventional materials, the use of Stone-Coat meant that there was minimal disruption to the school’s activities. Thanks to the lightweight nature of the product, compared to using natural stone, no heavy lifting equipment is required. The school was, therefore, able to isolate the work on a classroom by classroom basis rather than having to close large parts of the school while the work was carried out.
