These days, PE is one class that no student wants to skip at Sullivan Upper in Holywood. The extensive project completed by RJ McKelvey involved the demolition of the existing 1960’s war memorial, sports pavilion and gym facility and the construction of a new two-storey sports pavilion.

The impressive new building includes changing/toilet facilities and an additional upper floor of multipurpose space with a dance/drama studio and offices. It also includes a full-size gymnasium, an Astro turf hockey pitch with spectator areas, fencing and floodlighting, and even a long jump facility. New viewing galleries and balconies that look out over the front pitches are just two aspects of this impressive project, expertly built by RJ McKelvey.

The scope of works involved the demolition of the existing pavilion and associated mechanical, electrical services, external enhancements, floodlighting, public and staff car parking, perimeter fencing, and hard and soft landscaping. As the school was surrounded by residential developments and close to places of religious worship, commercial premises, a petrol filling station, an army base and a public park, RJ McKelvey took a methodical approach when it came to accessing the site and ensuring the most stringent health and safety standards were maintained.

“Working on a live site was probably the biggest challenge. We were managing the school, the children and the traffic and ensuring the safety of the children was our main priority at all times,” said Glenn Donnelly, Site Supervisor at RJ McKelvey. “We had an excellent working relationship with the school throughout, and that helped ensure a safe, incident-free build.”

To efficiently deal with pedestrians, traffic and deliveries, the company implemented a Traffic Management Plan (TMP) with timed deliveries to avoid busy periods.

“We were very careful to ensure local residents weren’t inconvenienced by the works. There are a lot of houses around the school so we also maintained pedestrian access across the front of the site for residents’ convenience.”

To demonstrate just how committed the company was to ensuring the highest standards were met, the site was registered under the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS). Under this scheme, very specific criteria had to be met when it came to the appearance of the site, respecting local residents, protecting the environment, upholding health and safety standards, and valuing the workforce.

These requirements weren’t just met but exceeded; the Sullivan Upper site obtained a ‘Beyond Compliance’ score for the final site inspection.
“This demonstrates the continued ambition within R J McKelvey to reduce the impact of our construction operations and to provide a benefit to the local community in general.”

A site waste management plan ensured that waste generated on site was monitored and recycled and, where possible, brick and other hard materials were reused as hardcore within the site. All roads and footpaths surrounding the site were kept clear of mud and debris. Other ecological considerations included the protection of mature trees and shrubs which were identified as timber procurement.

Working on a live site meant that health and safety was key throughout the build. The contractors provided a detailed ‘Construction Stage Health & Safety’ plan which outlined details of its arrangements for health and safety on the site.

This project is the most recent educational project RJ McKelvey has been involved in, and thanks to the quality of the works, it certainly won’t be the last.

“We really enjoyed working on Sullivan Upper and everyone, from the client to the architects and engineers, worked extremely hard to meet the deadline. We’re proud to have been involved in such an important project.”

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