Faced with a rapid increase in demand for school places driven by an increase in housing developments, Derby City Council required a new primary school in Mickleover to be fully operational by September 2019. With just 15 months from concept to completion, modern methods of construction (MMC) were identified as the only viable solution.
Designed by SCAPE's in-house architectural practice, Lungfish Architects and delivered by Morgan Sindall Construction via the SCAPE Venture framework, Hackwood Primary Academy became the Council’s first fully modular school. Utilising a standardised, research-led approach that optimised layouts for offsite manufacture, the single-storey, one form-entry school includes six spacious classrooms, a 26-place nursery and a double-height, two-court sports hall, all benefiting from excellent daylight, ventilation, acoustics and thermal comfort to support educational attainment.
A total of 42 modules were manufactured offsite and craned into position in just seven days, allowing the school to open nine months after breaking ground. Careful coordination of deliveries minimised disruption to the local community, while the offsite approach significantly reduced construction traffic, saving 9,680 car miles and lowering embodied carbon.
Delivered on budget in August 2019, the school is future-proofed with an expandable layout that can increase capacity to 315 pupils as the community grows. The project also achieved strong sustainability outcomes, diverting 94% of waste from landfill and generating more than £1.3 million in social value locally.
