In January 2021, TaskSpace were honoured to be introduced to Aldenham School by an existing client. The senior leadership at Aldenham were keen to explore the possibilities of refurbishing the entire science department, consisting of 10 laboratories along with associated prep rooms.

Embarking on the planning and design phase for the project at the end of January, with the aim of bring complete on site by the end of August, time was not on the school’s side!

To facilitate a fast-moving operation, TaskSpace put together an exhaustive project schedule, incorporating Planning, Design, Pre-Construction and On-Site phases, so that the school had complete visibility about when different elements of the project had to be completed to achieve the final finish date.

Alongside this exercise, clear budget figures were agreed right from the start, so that all stakeholders were completely aligned with how much the school wanted to invest, and what was included within the scope of the project.

Once these aspects were agreed, TaskSpace were delighted to embark on the planning and design phases of the project, putting forward a design proposal with various ideas that the school had never considered. These included elements such as acoustic ceiling panels with integrated lighting, dinosaurs and astronauts suspended in the corridors, and subject-based design theming, so that each scientific discipline had their own distinct identity.

Alongside this, TaskSpace put together a proposal video which the school could use to showcase the proposed design to the Governing Body, to secure the necessary investment; this included design visuals so that Governors could see how the labs would look after completion.

Despite considerable challenges relating to the availability of materials which had to be overcome during the project’s duration, TaskSpace were delighted to hand over the building in time for the beginning of the new term, with the Headmaster commenting appreciatively on how a £1m building project had been delivered during an 8 week period.