Eleco Timber Frame’s ElecoFrame System has helped main contractor Seamans Building reduce its build time by three weeks in the design and build of a new pre-school building for Mellis School in Suffolk.

The ElecoFrame system was installed in just four days, a job that had been allocated three weeks. As a result Seamans Building was able to pull back its build programme, previously delayed due to bad weather, by three weeks.

Constructed on an area of water-logged land adjacent to the school playground, the new pre-school building is built over 10m piles. Because of this Seamans Building required the lightweight benefit of a timber frame system.

Neil Last, Seamans Building’s site manager for the Mellis School project, said: “The build programme was delayed by some four weeks because of bad weather conditions but the speed with which the ElecoFrame system was installed has pulled this back, saving us three weeks in the programme.

“This is good for the build programme because following trades can get onsite much sooner than anticipated, while the nature of the system means that the requirement for wet trades is significantly reduced.”

The long-term sustainability of the resulting school building was also a key criterion for the planning process. “We needed the u-values to be as low as possible,” said Neil, “This is important for the heating and energy efficiency of the school building. The ElecoFrame system has made this possible.”