Larchfield Primary and Nursery School in Berkshire Add Playground Canopy

What was the project brief?

There were multiple reasons to install an outdoor canopy for this Berkshire school. Larchfield Primary and Nursery School in Maidenhead wanted to create a fun, cheerful outside learning and play area that could also be used for storage.

This might seem like a tall order, but for Larchfield Primary and Nursery School, for whom their children are the centre of all that they do, they knew that there would be a benefit in creating an area that allowed the children to be outside more. Done properly, they were also convinced that this would give them a practical storage shelter too.

Having earmarked the area that they wanted to use, Larchfield Primary and Nursery School contacted A&S Landscape to see if we felt that this dual usage concept was achievable.

What was our playground canopy solution?

Having worked with many schools, each with different canopy installation needs, our team have helped many primary and nursery school sites to create multifunctional outdoor spaces.

The chosen site for the proposed new canopy was against an existing single-storey part of the school building. Our Motiva range offers a fabulous option for situating next to existing buildings with low rooflines like this one. Knowing that Larchfield Primary and Nursery School wanted to inject an element of fun into their design, our proposal was to use the Motiva Wave™ shelter featuring a cantilever design. This is an expansion of the standard Motiva canopy architecture and adds a funky look with the wave-effect roof design.

The Motiva Wave™ canopy can be utilised to create a shelter solution for virtually any dimensions. It makes the perfect canopy structure for outdoor play areas, and its versatile canopy architecture also means that there are options to fully customise your design with everything from post pads, guttering and downpipes to wall brackets. As standard, we offer you the opportunity to choose the steelwork and roofing colours. Larchfield Primary and Nursery School chose Gentian Blue (RAL 5010) steel and an Opal polycarbonate roof. But the options are varied, and the choice is entirely down to the individual customer and the look that they’re hoping to achieve from their custom canopy project.

What was the result of their new playground canopy solution?

Larchfield Primary and Nursery School’s original aim was to create an outdoor area for learning, play and storage. Whether it be pram storage for the younger children or toy storage for the school, the new Motiva Wave™ canopy has delivered a shelter solution that can now be zoned for each of these uses.

The overall size of the canopy installation was 17700mm by 4000mm. This meant that there were lots of versatile areas underneath for the zoning of the space to deliver on both storage and play, as well as learning.

About the client

Based in Maidenhead, Berkshire, Larchfield Primary and Nursery School is a very important part of the lives of its children. The journey of a Larchfield pupil starts at age 3 and continues until 11 years. Larchfield Primary and Nursery School are proud of their caring family vibe, and every member of staff strives to ensure that each child that comes to them achieves their full potential.

The ethos of caring is one that Larchfield Primary and Nursery School encourage amongst their children, often taking a creative approach to how they do this. Previous initiatives have included a Harvest Festival competition. This involved classes competing to see who had obtained the most donations of items to be given to the Maidenhead Foodshare for distribution to those in the community who were in need.

Why invest in a playground canopy?

Creating a multifunctional canopy cover can give a range of benefits for busy schools such as Larchfield Primary and Nursery School. These are wide-ranging and include:

• Sheltered space for outdoor pram storage. This can be particularly beneficial for nursery school sites looking for an early years outdoor canopy.
• Opportunities for children to learn and play outdoors throughout the year. Evidence to show that being outdoors is hugely beneficial means that this is a great investment for any school.
• Canopy covers represent a cost-effective way to invest in outdoor learning provision. Your school may even be able to access grant funding to help with the cost.

How A&S Landscape can help you

If your school is considering the installation of a shelter solution then we can help you navigate the different canopy architecture options available. Our team have an abundance of experience in the field of canopy installation, and are on hand to answer any questions that you may have. Whether you want to explore dedicated outdoor pram storage, a bike shelter, outdoor classroom ideas, or a multi-purpose playground canopy, contact us today to find out how we can help you. Our team look forward to exploring the great choice of options with you.

Keep reading about more of our installations based in Berkshire

EP Collier Primary School Add Straight Roof Playground Shelter

Working alongside our building contractor client we constructed a straight polycarbonate roof canopy at EP Collier Primary School Reading, Berkshire. The job involved one L Shaped Motiva Linear™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 15909/11925mm X 2500mm and included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes which were coated in a matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

Fabric Shade Sail Designed for Langley Academy Primary School

In collaboration with our building contractor client our team designed a sail structure for Langley Academy Primary School Slough, Berkshire. The full contract involved three 4000mm X 4000mm Maxima™ tensile shade cloth fabric sail structures comprising of one square sail on four uprights including for all stainless steel fixtures and fittings.

Three Polycarbonate Roof Shelters Made for St Crispin’s School

Working with our building contractor client we constructed three straight polycarbonate roof canopies at St Crispin’s School London Road, Wokingham, Berkshire. The contract included the supply and installation of three canopies. One Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 5800mm X 1600mm. Two Motiva Linear™ monopitch straight roof canopies to an overall size of 3100mm x 2417mm and 5600mm x 5840mm all canopies included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes which were coated in a matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

Loddon Primary School Add Outdoor Shelter to Site

Working for our building contractor client we erected a straight polycarbonate roof canopy at Loddon Primary School Earley, Reading, Berkshire. The full contract involved the supply and installation of one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 8610mm X 3000mm and included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes in matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.