Barfield School enlisted the help of award-winning TG Escapes Modular Eco Buildings to design and build the new facilities. TG Escapes use a method of modular construction that creates a cost-effective permanent structure faster, and with less disruption than a traditional build, ensuring educational continuity for staff and students. Their bespoke timber frame buildings are sustainable, inspirational and built around biophilic design principles, which moderate stress levels and enhance engagement.

The new building at Barfield Prep School, which took four months to complete, provides a stunning new dining hall. The use of full-height windows running from floor to ceiling brings the outside in. This new room offers panoramic views across nature and ample natural light, making lunchtimes much more pleasurable for the pupils and staff.

Other new additions include a commercial kitchen with cold and dry stores, a pot wash area, an office, toilet, plant room and an external veranda overlooking the Head Teacher’s lawn.

To celebrate the launch Barfield Prep School held an opening ceremony and welcomed a visit from the Mayor of Farnham, Cllr Alan Earwalker.

Andy Boyle, Barfield Prep School’s Headmaster, said: “Since I joined the school, the need for a dedicated dining hall has been something I have wanted to address. For over 50 years the sports hall doubled up as the place to eat, it was a noisy, chaotic, impractical space with high windows and no views.

 Andy continued: “Thanks to TG Escapes we now have a beautifully designed, eco-friendly, functional building for everyone at the school to enjoy and benefit from.  I cannot speak highly enough about how professional their team has been. Having had other developments done recently, we were expecting there to be significant disruption to our school day but they have managed to go quietly about their business without impacting on us at all.”

The dining hall space will also host Barfield’s Upper School pupils for their after-school Prep sessions and Prep snacks, and their match teas after sports fixtures. 

TG Escapes predominantly focus on the education sector, creating stylish buildings from sustainable materials that enhance the well-being of their occupants and help protect the planet. This has been reflected in Barfield Prep School’s new low energy ‘A’ rated building which was achieved with solar panels installed on the roof, air source heat pumps, active ventilation and heat recovery, and LED lighting throughout. This will keep running costs down for years to come.

Clive Hicks, Project Manager at TG Escapes said: “It’s been an honour to work with Barfield Prep School on this project. We are committed to providing pupils with a positive environment where all can thrive. This has been achieved on this project  through sustainable design decisions and material choices. The pupils now have views of nature and high levels of natural light and ventilation - a great boost for all to enjoy!”

 TG Escapes were most recently awarded Manufacturer of the Year at the 2024 Modern Methods of Construction Awards continuing their success from 2023 in the Project of the Year and Public Sector Innovation of the Year categories.

For more information visit www.tgescapes.co.uk, call 0800 917 7726 or email [email protected]