St. John's Catholic, Rickmansworth

St John’s Catholic Primary School in Rickmansworth is being completely rebuilt following the discovery of RAAC within the original buildings

Challenge

Rebuilding over an unsafe structure.

After the existing structure was deemed unsafe in 2022, pupils were moved into temporary classrooms while plans for a permanent replacement were developed under the DFE’s School Rebuilding Programme.

The new two-storey school will provide modern teaching facilities for over 200 pupils aged four to eleven. The building has been designed to achieve net-zero carbon in operation and will include a bio-solar roof, photovoltaic canopy and natural ventilation throughout.

Solution

Steel frames and column free classrooms.

Calcinotto are providing full civil and structural engineering services. Our design introduces a steel-framed structure with long spans to maximise flexibility and create column-free classrooms and a large assembly hall. Precast concrete hollow-core floors and roof units have been specified to deliver both thermal mass and acoustic performance, while reinforced concrete pile caps and ground beams provide a stable foundation solution suited to the variable Taplow Gravel beneath the site.

The new school will sit on a suspended ground floor to mitigate soft spots identified during site investigation, supported by CFA piles to ensure long-term durability and resilience.

Externally, our design covers the surface and foul water drainage network, parking areas and hard play spaces, including two outdoor PE areas and a multi-use games area.