SFS creates impressive new facilities in Scotland

The construction of one of Scotland’s largest school and community projects has made extensive use of voestalpine Metsec’s SFS lightweight steel framing system to deliver time and cost savings.

The £55 million project sees the creation of brand-new education and sports facilities in the centre of Inverurie which will provide a hub for academic study and community activities in the Aberdeenshire town.

The new Inverurie Community Campus includes state-of-the-art teaching accommodation for up to 1,600 pupils as well as extensive sports and leisure facilities for locals, including a six-lane swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool, sports hall, fitness suite, dancing studio and community café.

The project has been undertaken by Aberdeenshire Council through developers Hub North Scotland. Halliday Fraser Munro were principal designers for the project, with construction being awarded to the Robertson Group.

voestalpine Metsec-approved installers, Veitchi Interiors were successful in tendering for the continuous walling that would form the external envelopes of the academy and community buildings, which extended to three storeys in height and are finished in a combination of brickwork and cladding. Some 20,000 metres of SFS was used as infill between the hot-rolled structural steel frame.

SFS proved to be the perfect solution for the campus buildings as Donald Turner, director at Veitchi Interiors, explains, “SFS was the ideal choice for the design and scope of this project. The ability to combine SFS with other construction methods meant that it dovetailed nicely with the hot-rolled steel frame, whilst voestalpine Metsec’s technical department worked closely with the project’s structural engineers, Fairhurst, to prepare the necessary designs. Further close liaison with Veitchi and the construction team meant that planning, scheduling and delivery of the SFS components to site was precise and timely.

“Installation of SFS is quick and easy. Once installed and boarded it provides immediate protection from the elements, enabling follow-on trades to start their work at a very early stage and allowing the project to progress quickly and smoothly.”

Inverurie Community Campus has drawn praise from politicians, councillors and the community as a whole, winning the Development of the Year (Public buildings) at the 2021 Scottish Property Awards.