Case Study

Name of Case Study: Six Study Rooms at Fettes, College, Edinburgh

Country: Scotland

Partner: Built Environment – Smarter Transformation

Company: Ecosystems Technologies Ltd.

Ecosystems Technologies is an innovative PropTech company dedicated to digital
transformation in the construction industry, applied innovation in timber technology and
the democratisation of sustainable, healthy building solutions.

Link to Website: https://www.ecosystemstech.com/

Overview / Project Summary:

Client Fettes College

Location Craigleith, Edinburgh

Contract DfMA, manufacture & install

Key dates Completion by 29th August 2021

Value £364,000

Mass Timber requirements 72 m 3 (CLT, GLT, NLT)
Architect Park Page

Structural Engineer Will Rudd

Fettes College urgently required a reactive expansion of their student accommodation to
cater for ‘day pupils’ with the provision of high quality work spaces.

The college had identified a small site to the rear of their Craigleith Boarding House.
Park Page architects had prepared outline proposals for 6 x 19m2 pods, which were well
suited to a modular delivery.

The shape of the study pod building was designed to mirror the main building behind it
and blend into the existing landscaping. Access is provided by a wide access deck with
stair cases on either end.

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Description

Ecosystems were appointed in April 2021 and worked with Fettes College’s masterplan
architects Page Park to finalise the planning and building warrant applications.

Planning approval was secured mid July and the study rooms were delivered to site on
27th August, 6 weeks later.

Ecosystems were the main contractor for this project and employed a groundworker and
separate piling contractor to install the sub-structure whilst the pods were being
manufactured in our factory in Invergordon.

The pods were transported to the site in convoy. Each pod was then lifted from the lorry
that transported it, onto another smaller lorry which reversed it down toward the crane
through an extremely narrow gap between trees and existing buildings. A 100ton crane
then lifted each pod into position and the finals parts of the deck were completed, in a
single day.

Finishing works to complete the external envelope then followed along with service
connections.

The Innovation

This project is the first fully complete Scottish homegrown mass timber building to be

delivered and Ecosystems is extremely proud to have partnered closely with Fettes on
this challenging but extremely attractive building.

It allowed Ecosystems to showcase the use of homegrown Cross Laminated Timber;
Glue Laminated Timber beams and Nail Laminated ceilings.

Key Outputs

The design, manufacture and installation were achieved in an accelerated programme of
just five months as it was essential from a health and safety perspective to have the
main structure in place before the pupils returned from their summer break.

Challenges

The site was highly constrained with the existing Craigleith sixth form boarding house on
one side and mature, protected trees on the other. To add to the complexity, the small
site had multiple services running through it, many of which were uncharted.

Foundation excavations also revealed a historic crane base which had not been
recorded in the site investigation report.