WATCH: Former bank HQ stripped out for conversion into school
WORK has begun to strip out the former Royal Bank of Canada building as step one of its conversion into a major new extension of Elizabeth College, following the awarding of the contract to RG Falla.
The development, which will be named Perrot Court after former pupil and benefactor Roger Perrot, will have its main entrance facing Upland Road, but will also be accessed via a walkway from the neighbouring college site, as well as via lifts down to the science block opposite the Brothers’ Cemetery.
College principal Jenny Palmer said she was excited to see work begin on the project, which is due to be completed in September next year.
‘The college is a tight site,’ she said. ‘It’s a town centre site and the opportunities for expansion are very few and far between. So when this came up it really was an opportunity not to be missed. It’s very exciting.’
Asked what she was most excited about showing off to students and parents, Mrs Palmer highlighted the improved accessibility of the new facility compared with the main, listed, building used by the college and the opportunity to amalgamate the two adjacent sites into one expanded campus.
‘It’s that joining, it’s that – hopefully – seamless attachment to the main college forecourt that I’m really excited about,’ she said.
RG Falla will be working alongside London-based architects firm Levitt-Bernstein, which specialises in educational settings.
Project director Paul Mason said the Perrot Court job was a significant undertaking for the Guernsey building firm, which will have up to 50 staff on site during some phases of the work.
‘It’s a prestigious job for a prestigious client,’ he said. ‘It’s going to take up a big resource.’
Among the facilities required within the new space will be a much larger library than the one currently housed at the top of the main building and a student hub.
Mrs Palmer said the purpose of the expansion was to open up greater space for use by the existing number of students, rather than to enable the number to increase, though she said it also opened up the potential to meet greater demand if needed.
