Work by Barnes Construction on a £6.3 million extension at an academy in Essex has been marked with the burying of a time capsule, under what will be the ground floor corridor in the new building.
The event at the Marshalls Park Academy in Romford, Essex saw representatives from the Academy, the local council, and the construction team lower the time capsule into place.
Present at the ceremony were Havering Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Children and Families, Councillor Robert Benham, Headteacher Neil Frost and Contracts Manager for Barnes Construction, Mark Whinney, helped by the head boy Harry Harding and head girl Lilly Hadrava.
Barnes began work in September last year on the two-storey extension, which will provide 16 new classrooms, a dance studio and changing facilities. Designed by KLH Architects, with Superstructures assisting with the structural engineering design, the new accommodation is being built on land that housed the old staff car park.
So, what is in the capsule? According to Mr Frost, it includes various items to capture life at the school, including timetables, and things that cover life in modern Britain for youngsters, including AirPods and pressing global issues like the environment.
The building project is part of Havering’s schools’ expansion programme, which will see the council investing more than £23 million into its schools this year.