Willmott Dixon starts work on first off the shelf school

Willmott Dixon will start work next month on its first off-the-shelf school in Warwickshire after receiving approval from the county council.

The construction firm launched its Sunesis range of standardised schools last April. It provides a series of design outlines which don’t change from site to site, though there are some customisable features, offering cost certainty to clients.

The school in Ruby, Warwickshire, is expected to cost 30% less than a traditional school build at £2.2m.The contract is for the Keynes model, designed by Atkins.

Peter Owen, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the Midlands and sector leader for education, said: “This is a tremendous moment in the delivery of a new generation of efficient schools that provide an excellent learning environment but at significantly lower cost.

“This is about Willmott Dixon and Scape [a local authority owned delivery company] providing a real solution to councils who want their budgets, already under much pressure, to go even further for what they spend.”