Laurus Ryecroft High School in Greater Manchester adds Dining Canopy

What was the project brief?

Laurus Ryecroft, a new secondary school in Droylsden, Greater Manchester, was in need of a new outdoor dining canopy. They already had a food pod and picnic benches to cater for outdoor dining, but there was a lack of shelter for those rainy, wintery days. To perfectly complete the outdoor, year-round dining experience, it was decided that canopy would provide the best solution. This is when they called in A&S Landscape, who would provide their canopy expertise and knowledge right from the initial concept, up until the final installation. Known for their expert advice, the team at A&S Landscape wasted no time in getting to work, and helping Laurus Ryecroft High School to complete their students’ dining experience with the perfect outdoor shelter.

What was our dining canopy solution?

The school decided to contract A&S Landscape to design, build and install a Motiva Duo™, a popular choice of curved roof canopies for schools. Built to an impressive 10000mm x 10000mm, the shelter possesses a Dura-coat™ colour finish – in the chosen colour of Slate Grey (RAL 7015) – excellently combining with the school colours. Providing the ultimate weather protection, the polycarbonate roof canopy is finished with opal coloured roof sheets, and is curved symmetrically (otherwise known as duopitch) to meet the steel frame at the same height on each side.

What was the result of their new dining shelter?

The result of the school’s new dining shelter has been fantastic for the students, staff and the school in general. The canopy has transformed the students’ dining experience, giving the area a whole new identity, and students are now able to sit outside whatever the weather. The free standing canopy acts as a sunshade for essential UV protection, as well as an effective shelter against wetter and more wintery weather. The benefits of time spent outdoors will undoubtedly be felt by the students (and the teachers!), with the increased accessibility to fresh air each day, and in turn, this will also relieve pressure on the indoor eating areas. With the school still in its early stages and likely to expand, the extra space outdoors will not go amiss.

About the client

Laurus Ryecroft High School is a new secondary school in Greater Manchester. Having only opened in September 2018, the school commits itself to the pursuit of excellence and success in every student, much like its sister school Cheadle Hulme High School, the founder school run by the Laurus Trust. It’s a non-selective and non-denominational school that is growing in size, each year offering more places to children in the local area.

It’s a truly exciting time for this educational provider, who in May 2020 moved to a permanent building providing students with state-of-the-art facilities and modern learning spaces. Here at A&S Landscape, we are delighted to have been a part of their development and wish them all the best with their pursuit of excellence.

Are there different types of curved roof canopies?

As well as the Motiva Duo™ canopy, as seen here at Laurus Ryecroft High School, there are several other curved roof canopies available – including the newest addition to the range, the Maxima Plaza™. This shelter combines sturdiness with style, with a wide span barrel vault roof structure – typically symmetrical (duopitch) – created from heavy-duty, waterproof fabric material and held up by a solid steel framework of at least four fixed posts.

The Motiva Mono™ however, is a much more contemporary option. The asymmetrical (monopitch – where one side is higher than the other), sleek design fits perfectly against a building as a covered walkway, an extended classroom or door canopy. With the ability to decide on the degree of curve, they can be wholly bespoke and suited to the chosen environment.

The final member of the curved roof canopy is the funky and vibrant Motiva Wave™. Built to look like what the name suggests, the ‘wave’ has both a monopitch and duopitch variant, working excellently against low-lying rooflines. These shelters enjoy all the benefits of our standard designs yet have the added ‘wow’ factor – brightening up any surrounding.

What is a straight roof canopy?

The Motiva Linear™ is one of our longest-standing, much-loved products. It is the only straight roof canopy we currently offer, but that does not mean it offers less in terms of flexibility in design. The roof is flat, with one side higher than the other (monopitch) – to ensure effective water run-off during wetter weather – but the tilt angle can be tailored to specific requirements. It enjoys all the same benefits of a curved roof shelter, just without the curved roof structure!

All of the shelters mentioned here have the flexibility to be built to almost any dimension to fit almost any space, and are built to include durable Alu-tuff™ guttering, a high-quality gutter system which is built to last. Unlike plastic guttering, Alu-tuff™ is less prone to cracks and leaks, and damage from UV rays. There is also the option to match the colour of the gutters to the Dura-coat™ finish of the steelwork.

With the wide range of canopy options available, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. To find out more about the different types of canopy, optional extras, or any other queries, please contact our friendly team on 01743 444100 or at [email protected].

Read about more of our projects based in Greater Manchester

Enclosed Dining Shelter Designed for St Cuthbert’s RC High School

Our engineers built a curved roof canopy with roller shutters in St Cuthbert’s RC High School Rochdale, Greater Manchester. The job involved one Motiva Duo™ duopitch curved roof canopy measuring 16600mm X 7000mm with Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes which were coated in a matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.  This included for the formation of bases, backfill and making good of the surfaces. Supply and installation two 4700mm and one 2512mm wide electrically operated roller shutter doors and the rest of the sides with glazed panels.

Straight Roof Shelter Installed at Cheadle Hulme Primary School

Our team produced a straight polycarbonate roof canopy at Cheadle Hulme Primary School Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle, Greater Manchester. The full contract involved the supply and installation of one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 7000mm X 5000mm with Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes in matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

St Clare’s RC Primary School Add Fabric Playground Canopies

We made three StarSails for St Clare’s RC Primary School Manchester, Greater Manchester. The full contract involved the supply and installation of four StarSails. One Maxima StarSail™ tensile shadecloth fabric structure supported on a single upright measuring 6000mm X 6000mm, two Maxima StarSail™ tensile shadecloth fabric structures each supported on a single upright measuring 5000mm X 5000mm and one Maxima StarSail™ tensile shadecloth fabric structure supported on a single upright measuring 6000mm X 6000mm. In addition to this there were also four post protector pads and a two 3 seater bench.

Saddleworth School Cover Outdoor Space With Shelter

Our team constructed a straight polycarbonate roof canopy in Saddleworth School Uppermill, Oldham, Greater Manchester. The full contract involved the supply and installation of one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 11000mm X 9000mm with Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes in matching Dura-coat™ colour finish the supply and fitting of one Maxima™ waterproof Umbrella structure supported on a single upright measuring 5000mm X 5000mm.

Large Dining Area Canopy At Blessed John Henry Newman RC College

Our team built a curved roof canopy in Blessed John Henry Newman RC College Chadderton, Oldham, Greater Manchester. The job involved one Motiva Duo™ duopitch curved roof canopy measuring 18800mm X 7000mm and included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes in matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

Crossacres Primary School Add Playground Shelter

Our engineers created a canopy in Crossacres Primary Academy Wythenshawe, Manchester, Greater Manchester. The full contract involved the supply and installation of one Maxima™ shade cloth fabric sail including for all fixtures and fittings.