What was the project brief?
The Harvey Grammar School, which is located in Folkestone, Kent, is a school with a long and illustrious history. Whilst the origins of the school date back to 1674, they wanted to ensure that the demands of a modern campus were properly catered for.

Offering education to boys between the ages of 11 and 18 years, the school is a busy place with lots going on. From sport to drama and technology, they have an industrious campus that they are continuously developing to ensure that the learning environment delivers on the needs of their pupils. To this end, they approached A&S Landscape for expert input on developing plans to add an area of outdoor cover to help them to deliver on this plan. The aim was to incorporate a tensile canopy system into their estate.

What was their tensile canopy system solution?
With an array of choice from their fabric canopy product range, The Harvey Grammar School had certainly come to the right place for help! With everything from sun shade canopies to fully waterproof PVC covered cantilever umbrella canopies, there is a design to suit every need. When it comes to commercial school projects, there is lots to think about, and their expertise in this field put us in a great place to help them.

To meet the needs of The Harvey Grammar School, the tensile canopy system solution was the Maxima Tepee™. This product works well either as an individual free standing canopy unit, with sizes from three metres up to an impressive fifteen metres, or grouped together in a modular format. The modular format worked particularly well for the location and design that The Harvey Grammar School management team had in mind. We therefore designed, manufactured and installed three Maxima Tepee™ shelters covering an impressive 21 metre by 7 metre footprint.

In terms of customisation, The Harvey Grammar School selected from their extensive colour palette of both steel and waterproof fabric shades. The end design was completed in Ultramarine Blue (RAL 5002) steel with White (RAL 9010) fabric canopy cover.

What was the result of their tensile canopy system?
The final installation was a fresh looking, practical design of three Maxima Tepee™ shelters grouped together. The Maxima product range has a really fun aesthetic and creates an attractive impression when grouped together in a design like The Harvey Grammar School project.

But it’s not just how great these structures look that makes them a good option, it’s the practicality that they bring with them that’s the real winner. The Harvey Grammar School now have a fully sheltered area on the campus that can be used for a multitude of different purposes. Whether it’s outdoor dining, or even outdoor learning, the space generated from an area of cover like this can definitely create something that both pupils and teachers alike will use and appreciate. Now, whether it’s meeting up with friends at break times, or taking some time out to eat lunch in the fresh air, the boys at Harvey Grammar have another fabulous school resource to enhance their learning environment.

About the client
The seaside town of Folkestone on the Kent coast is home to The Harvey Grammar School. This port town has long been an important hub for transport links across the Channel. No wonder, then, that during World War II the town became a prohibited area. As a result, the school was evacuated all the way to Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales.

A&S Landscape referred earlier to The Harvey Grammar School’s distinguished history which dates back to 1674. Founded by Dr William Harvey, who is said to be the first doctor to have discovered how blood circulated through the body, it’s history develops further with the words in the school motto ‘Redoutable et Fougueux’. These words are attributed to one of Dr Harvey’s descendants, Admiral Sir Eliab Harvey, whose ship, during the Battle of Trafalgar, forced the surrender of two French ships by those names. ‘Redoutable et Fougueux’ was then adopted as the family motto and enshrined into the school’s history.