Marco, the UK manufacturer of Steel Wire Cable Tray, and uPVC Cable Management Company, has supplied over 600metres of its Apollo 3-compartment Dado Trunking with coloured lid to M&E contractors, Imtech G & H, at the new £22million JCB Academy scheme in Rocester, Staffordshire.
Hoare Lee Consultants of Plymouth specified the Marco square profile Dado Trunking with a light grey centre lid to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, which is designed to assist those with visual impairments in public buildings. The Marco Trunking was used throughout the new Academy that sits within a Grade II-listed former Mill building, built in 1781.
Opened in September this year, the Academy focuses on developing engineering and business skills, alongside traditional GCSE-based subjects. The school will house 14 – 19 year old pupils and has been equipped with over £1million worth of modern engineering equipment which the school says will help turn their design ideas into a reality.
The JCB Academy is the first school of its kind in the UK for the education of this age group with a core focus on engineering. Like other state schools, the JCB Academy is funded by the Department for Education. As a main sponsor, JCB contributed 10% of the capital and donated the Mill in which it is based. The Academy is designed to be highly energy efficient and it has installed an Archimedes Screw which will generate around 80% of the power for the site. Rainwater is also harvested for recycling.
The Academy will deploy finger recognition technology using biometric information, enabling pupils to register their daily attendance, pay for their lunch and sign on to their laptops with the swipe of a finger. The JCB Academy also has a 3D room where pupils can don glasses and see 3D colour animations of the projects they are designing. Every pupil will receive a laptop, which they will be able to keep once they leave the Academy.
Anil Sarda of Marco Cable Management said: “This scheme involves a complex and extensive M&E installation programme due to the high levels of power and data cabling needed to support the academy’s operation. The Marco three compartment dado trunking met all of the practical needs specified by Imtech G&H whilst ensuring DDA compliance was also achieved.”