The demolition of the almost century-old wooden structure of the St. Rose’s High School is scheduled to commence tomorrow and it is expected to last four weeks.
The school’s Board of Governors, in a statement issued on Friday, said that although there has been some delay, the demolition will be undertaken by P D Contracting Inc.
It was noted that the change in the work schedule was conducted to facilitate the completion of demolition works after the current school year ends, which in turn would further reduce the likelihood of there being any mishaps since the students will be on vacation.
The statement had noted that the demolition will be limited to the aged wooden section of the school and other adjoining areas that are also in a state of disrepair.
Regarding the reconstruction, Courtney Benn Contracting Ltd is expected to begin works immediately after demolition. Those works are expected to last an estimated 24 months.
According to the press statement, the replacement structure will incorporate many aspects of the original school building’s design and will integrate in it the design of the Marian and other wings on the property, while also retaining the green space courtyard area, which is a unique feature of the school.
“Collectively it was agreed that we must look towards the future and incorporate the very best of modern design and “green” architectural approaches into our new school building that will stand as an example for future educational building designs here in Guyana,” the statement said.
The design of the new building, it added, was done by a Trinidadian firm with “strong Guyanese roots in architectural design and consulting services.”
“Guyanese born Mr. Orin Hinds is a member of that team representing Bynoe, Rowe & Wiltshire, the partnership entrusted with designing, providing the relevant documents, managing and overseeing the project’s demolition and reconstruction exercise and delivery of the final agreed replacement building,” the statement said.
Additionally, the Board of Governors is also utilising independent engineers to ensure the delivery of the agreed final design, which it said would take into full account the aesthetics in keeping with the expectations of the stakeholders, the history of the existing structure and adherence to current local and international environmental and building codes and standards.
Notwithstanding, the design process was conducted with the input of the Board of Governors, which consulted all relevant stakeholders, including The Ursuline Nuns, who gave no objections to the entire process and would have contributed during the feedback phase of the design process.
“The P.T.A, Alumni Associations, students, teachers, Principal, Deputy Principal, The National Trust, The Ministry of Education, The Ministry of Social Cohesion, The Ministry of Finance and all others with direct or indirect impact on the design process also contributed immensely with their own separate stakeholder contributions during this process,” the statement added.
