Thursday 9 June 2011

ABLE KIRKLEES - Ground breaking scheme begins

Diggers have now begun excavating the lake on the new ABLE 2 site at Heckmondwike.
All of the soil removed will be kept on the site and used for landscaping and other works in the coming months.

Thursday 2 June 2011

ABLE Kirklees: Major Works Begin

Public access to the site has now been closed and signs erected as work begins.

Plans have been put up at various points around the site to allow people to see what the site will look like after the works are complete.


The first major work to excavate the 1.8 acre lake has begun. Diggers and dumper trucks have scraped the turf and topsoil back and the lake will take shape in the coming weeks.


ABLE at Swinton Community School, Rotherham

The ABLE Project's Future Jobs Fund trainees have had a unique training experience in Rotherham this year.

They put their developing construction skills to excellent use by revitalizing two unused quadrangles at the heart of Swinton Community School, Rotherham.
These drab concrete spaces were transformed into imaginative and engaging resources.  




The first space was repaved using recycled plastic ground blocks before two buses were lifted into place using cranes. 


A double decker became an aquarium complete with fiberglass fish tanks and hydroponic growing beds, complemented by a single decker which became an outside study resource.


The quadrangle also contains some large circular fishing tanks which have know been installed and are home to Koi carp raised at the ABLE site in Wakefield.

In the other space they complimented existing hard landscaping with attractive non slip wood decking and created an outdoor classroom and performance area, using existing structures to create a stage and ornamental fish tanks. The existing concrete structures were clad in brick.






The wide range of skills learnt by the trainees at the Rotherham project will be of great benefit to the building of the ABLE Kirklees project where works have just begun on site.