'Create the Future' updates
Physics is first off the mark!
Lower 4 girls were the first to experience teaching in the exciting new CATalyst lab with a lesson exploring Hooke's Law and the elastic property of materials. How many of us remember this lesson from our own days in the Physics Lab?
It's in our DNA!
Girls and teachers alike were excited to kick off a new school term with lessons in The CATalyst Community Lab. With a striking illustration of a double helix, marking the contribution of Rosalind Franklin to the discovery of DNA, we hope that it will inspire generations of girls to follow in her pioneering footsteps.
Our wonderful philanthropic community.
We are delighted to be recognising the support of our philanthropic community in a suitably appropriate manner! Watch out for conical flasks in the new lab celebrating the contributions of the many families who have joined us in making this exciting project a reality.
Finishing Touches
It's been exciting to see the final fixtures and fittings arriving in The CAtalyst Community Lab. This wonderfully well equipped space is ready to receive girls on their return from the Christmas holidays.
Fixtures and Fittings.
Surfaces are being cleaned; furniture moved in and positioned; and burners and power points located. Each day we get a little closer to welcoming the girls back to the wonderful new Community Lab.
A Lab with a View!
It's not often possible to get such a good view of The 6 from School Block, but today this photo was irresistible! As the Community Lab gets ever closer to completion, work on the reoriented Physics lab which will extend into the new part of the building, is full steam ahead.
Things are looking up!
The action has all been above eye level in the new Drama Studio over the holidays, with the addition of air handling and lighting rig. Our thanks to everyone who has supported our Play Your Part campaign and helped to realise our vision for this wonderful creative space.
Holidays are here for the girls only!
While the girls are enjoying cinema trips, family time, shopping and some well-deserved R&R our build team are still working hard on the final fit out of the CATalyst Community Lab and the Drama Studio. The week before Christmas sees the fitting of the new windows in the upstairs of School Block and the complete 'knock-through' of the old Physics classroom in readiness for creating the new Physics Lab.
Nearly there! The CATalyst Super-Lab
The windows are in and the are benches fixed, the transparent fume cupboard installed as is the clear glass display cabinet. Beard Construction’s Christmas elves are pulling out all stops to give our girls a post-Christmas treat in January when they return to School - a fabulous light, bright Super-Lab in which to study all three sciences. The Heads of Science are equally excited about opening the doors to the new Lab!
In time, through the internal School Block corridor girls will be able to glimpse into the CATalyst Community Lab to view experiments and teaching as they pass by into our new Physics Lab – opening in September 2025.
Thank you to all those who have supported us with charitable gifts towards the Create the Future vision and to The CATalyst Phase 1, you are creating an inspirational space in which girls will flourish in the sciences.
The fume cupboard!
Our rather wonderful new 'transparent' fume cupboard is designed to capture and remove air-borne hazardous substances generated during girls' Lab experiments. It will extract gases, vapours, aerosols and particulates from the air.
Outside the Lab in the connecting corridor that will lead to the new Physics Lab (opening in September 2025) the girls will see through the fume cupboard into the CATalyst Lab!
Coming soon ....
This wall is looking a little bare at the moment but we have plans! Watch this space.
Looks like Henry has a little work to do ...
The Science Technicians Lab
Our Science Technicians are eager to get into their new space which is now near completion ready for safe storage of chemicals and the preparation of experiment resources. Their professionalism is key to girls’ experience in the Labs and the running of our extra-curricular activities such as Science Club and Dissection Club!
To the left you will see a window, this looks out into the CATalyst Lab.
Christmas shopping!
Not the usual requests on our Christmas list this year, but it is exciting to see furnishings and scientific equipment as well as large, structural pieces arriving on site. While the reoriented Physics Lab is something of a storeroom at the moment, we can't wait to see it full of girls exploring science and being inspired by our wonderfully creative teaching team!
Equipping the Community Lab.
This week has been bustling with activity as numerous deliveries arrived on-site! From the impressive full-height windows, which will soon offer views of the Rose Garden, to a range of essential equipment for daily use, the lab is steadily taking shape.
Visit the Development pages of this website to discover more about our vision for The CATalyst!
The Drama Studio.
Meanwhile upstairs in the new Drama Studio the walls have been painted matt black - a real challenge with two coats having been applied and one more to follow! A high density, compressed floor has been laid and an automatic black-out blind is due to be fitted. The lighting rig and sound deck will then be delivered and installed in readiness for completion by October Half Term.
An update from the Community Lab
The floor is now complete with screed and vinyl laid, and covered to protect the surface while work continues. This week the ceiling and square panel LED lighting will be put in place. The air extraction system is completed and the old windows are being removed in readiness for the installation of new single pane replacements with louvres at the top for added ventilation,
Labs with a view!
As the build progresses, these images give a sense of the location of the reoriented physics lab. Situated at the heart of School, the redesigned and refurbished laboratories will be used by girls of all ages as well as making it possible for us to host Science events in the state of the art Community Lab.
The view from the Super-Lab to the Science Preparation room
This Lab has purposefully been designed with visibility to the Science Preparation room so that girls can see materials and chemicals being carefully stored and prepared in readiness fortheir experiments.
The 'wall gap' on the left-hand side is where the fume cupboard will be positioned.
From late Autumn the Community Lab will be enjoyed by girls across all year groups, studying the three sciences - Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
The floor is nearly down!
This is a view of the 'Super-Lab' with windows out to the Rose Garden. Gas and electrics have been laid under the floor in readiness for the girls to take to the work benches and enjoy plenty of experiments across all the science subjects!
Clever carpentry creates two classrooms from one
The 'old' drama Studio takes on a new lease of life as two classrooms with the addition of some clever carpentry and dividing walls. New insulation has arrived too!
A first glimpse of the Drama Studio
Before its black-box treatment, the 'rigging' for the lighting takes shape in the new Drama Studio.
The entrance to the build site
Looking out to the Warren - the home of the Association Community - the builders are forging ahead with the CATalyst Phase 1.
The Community Lab
A glimpse into the new Community Lab this morning shows the fabulous wall of windows looking out onto the Rose Garden. The scale of this 'super-lab' is immediately obvious as the new layout begins to reveal itself. When the lab is open, girls of all ages will walk past the building on their way to and from classes and be inspired by seeing St Cat's scientists in action!
CATalyst Phase 1 & Drama
Watch out for news of our campaign to support Drama!
Visit the Lower Atrium, Anniversary Halls on Speech Day to find out more.
Arrival of the diggers!
With the site hoarding and gates in place and our contractors, Beard Construction, safely installed on a compound at the rear of School the diggers have moved in. While disruption is being kept to a minimum during the School day it is exciting to see work beginning on CATalyst Phase 1 and the new Drama studio.
CATalyst Phase 1 - work has begun! 24 June 2024
The hoardings are being put in place around the existing School Block in readiness for the creation of the Community Lab (opening Autumn term 2024) and a new Physics Lab (opening Autumn term 2025). During the School day the Lab will be used by Middle and Senior School girls for core curriculum work and extra-curricular clubs such as Dissection Club, Astrophysics Club, Maths Challenge and the Sixth Form Medical Reading Club. New classrooms will be added for Maths and English too.
Watch this space for updates as the the build progresses!
CATalyst Phase 1 - Work begins on the existing School Block in Summer 2024 with the creation of the Community Lab (opening Autumn term 2024) and a new Physics Lab (opening Autumn term 2025). The Community Lab is a ‘super-Lab’ in size and has been designed specifically to accommodate both Prep and Senior outreach activity: the future location for Summer Science Camps, Coding Workshops and Science teacher training activity, building on the work that has already begun in the Prep School WonderLab. During the School day the Lab will be used by Middle and Senior School girls for core curriculum work and extra-curricular clubs such as Dissection Club, Astrophysics Club, Maths Challenge and the Sixth Form Medical Reading Club. New classrooms will be added for Maths and English too.
Play your Part – this investment includes an exciting new home for Middle School Drama in a high-ceilinged space which is currently a classroom (see red box!). A complete refit there will enable girls of all ages to explore technical theatre production, improvisation, devising and showcase their work in a modern drama studio environment. To find out more visit about our Drama plans and how you can 'Play your Part' click here.