Deanestor delivers £1M contract to fit-out the largest new school project in Scotland

Deanestor, one of the UK’s leading furniture and fitout specialists, has completed a contract worth over £1m for Morrison Construction for the manufacture and installation of fixed furniture for The Barony Campus in Cumnock, East Ayrshire – the most innovative, ambitious and inclusive learning facility in Scotland.

The £68m, 2,500-pupil school is the largest capital project ever undertaken by East Ayrshire Council. Designed Sheppard Robson, it has consolidated five separate schools into one inclusive campus and features state-of-the-art teaching, sporting and community facilities.

Four linked structures accommodate a secondary school for 1,633 pupils, a 517-pupil primary school, a 119-place early childhood centre, an 80-pupil supported learning facility and 30 additional places for children with special educational needs. There is also a sports centre, community café, meeting rooms, recording studio, theatre space, enterprise kitchen for catering, and project space for textiles, crafts and pottery.

Deanestor fitted out 324 rooms across the 23,000 sqm campus, helping to create an outstanding learning environment. This has included the manufacture and installation of bespoke furniture such as 117 primary and secondary learning walls, 1,800 storage cabinets, 1,500m of linear worktops, lockers, benching for the sports facilities and kitchens for three food technology laboratories. Adjustable-height tables throughout the campus were designed to meet DDA requirements and there is a kitchen for the life skills room.

Commenting on the project, Alistair Kidd, Project Planning and Resource Manager at East Ayrshire Council, said, “Deanestor has done a first class job of taking our design intent for The Barony Campus and turning this into a physical reality on site.”

“The teaching walls, demonstration desks and other bespoke furniture have been manufactured by Deanestor and to a high standard. This has really added to the quality of the overall finishes within the school and the learning environment. It was a pleasure working with the Deanestor team, particularly on site. Their attention to detail was crucial to delivering such an outstanding campus facility.”

John Allan, Project Director at Morrison Construction, said, “Deanestor has a good reputation in the education sector and in Scotland. They are a valuable member of the Morrison supply chain and this project was delivered to their usual high standards. This was a major and complex fitout. Deanestor performed well, were easy to work with and the quality of their furniture is very good. The teaching staff and children are absolutely delighted with the new facilities.”

“The Deanestor team also helped us to address the challenges of the Covid situation. Their factory remained fully operational throughout the lockdowns which meant fitout could progress very quickly once construction sites in Scotland were permitted to re-open.”

The modular learning walls were manufactured by Deanestor in multiple widths and 20 different configurations and colourways to suit each year group. These accommodate a combination of features such as a central interactive screen, whiteboard doors, integrated teaching desk, built-in bag storage, base and wall cupboards, storage trays, open shelving, and sinks. 

The architect’s colour strategy for the campus is based on the Scottish landscape and uses hues of blue and green for the fixed furniture. The classrooms are arranged around central atria which create highly flexible spaces for individual, small or large group educational activities.

Deanestor provides high quality contract furniture solutions to construction clients and contractors for healthcare, education, student accommodation, build-to-rent and laboratory projects – both new build and refurbishment. It offers bespoke design services to meet specific project requirements and is responsible for installation to provide a seamless approach for its customers and a single point of contact.  

For further information, visit www.deanestor.co.uk/education, call 01623 420041 or email enquiries@deanestor.com.