Thomas Deacon Academy
Peterborough, 2008
With 2,200 students, the Thomas Deacon Academy; RIBA and British Council for School Environment Industry Awards 2008; ‘Best Use of ICT to Create a Learning Community’ award winning project was part of the academy school building programme.
Working with architect’s Foster and Partners; this academy has a unique teaching system, akin to a university, with lessons complimented by lectures, seminars and one-to-one tutorials. The Academy’s scale and collegiate structure with an open plan campus of individual blocks, the six distinct colleges are unified beneath a single roof canopy, creating the school’s highly flexible internal ‘civic square’.
The brief for the new The Thomas Deacon Academy was for a new education facility for 11-16 year olds, six form entry school, with a total population of 2200 pupils.
The new academy design included:
- Sports Hall and associated changing facilities
- Dining Hall and associated kitchen
- Dance and Drama Spaces
- General Teaching Spaces
- Technology and Science Laboratories
- Practical Teaching Spaces, including workshops, science laboratories, art classroom
- Music Classrooms and associated practice areas
- Library
- ICT dedicated Teaching Space with associated cyber café
- Administration Support Areas
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Each three-storey college has its own teaching areas and communal spaces, including a ‘Network Study Area’ – a flexible space for recreation or collective study – and a glazed classroom, which acts as the ‘shop window’ for each subject. The six volumes are connected internally by a dramatic central concourse, enclosed by a partially glazed roof. Comprising a patchwork of triangular acoustic panels, vents and light-reflecting inserts, and braced by arching steel beams, the canopy animates the interior with patterns of light and shade. At the heart of the concourse, there is a stacked oval volume, containing a lecture theatre at ground level and a library above. A ribbon of classrooms and break-out areas winds around the central space, while quieter teaching and study spaces line the perimeter of the building, with views of the sports fields. By increasing the external edge, this arrangement maximises the potential to draw natural light and ventilation inside. The design incorporates a number of passive environmental strategies designed to reduce energy use: the façade is a simple filigree of horizontal brise soleil that provide external solar shading, while inside, the combination of exposed concrete soffits and high-level opening vents allows night air to be drawn into the building, to help cool the interior throughout the day.
The main entrance and crescent-shaped reception desk are located at the westerly end of the building, within a circular waiting area formed between the sweep of two curving balconies. A further jewel-shaped block, containing a 350-seat theatre, sports hall and canteen, extends from the northern edge of the building, where it can be accessed independently of the school and used by the local community.
With the exception of the main heating plant; all major plant was designed to sit within the footprint of the roof and installed to fully serviceable and allow part or full replacement of plant.
Outline Plans
SCOPE AND CO-ORDINATION OF SERVICES
| Structural Engineering | HVAC | Fire Engineering |
| Façade Engineering | Chilled water systems | Active fire protection systems to ‘performance level’ |
| Acoustics Engineering | Domestic water services | Fire Detection and Alarm |
| Security | Foul and Surface water drainage | Building Management System |
| Sustainability | Internal & External Lighting | Commissioning Building Services |
| IT | HV & LV power systems | Building Facilities Maintenance |
| Audio Visual | Standby power systems | Enabling Works |
| Physical & SensoryAccess (Disability) | Lightning Protection |
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts
East Anglia University, Norwich
The SCVA is located within the main campus of the UEA, south-west of the main campus buildings. The building comprises of two buildings, which are referred to as the Main Gallery Building, and the Crescent Wing.
This museum project entailed a major refurbishment with Foster and Partners architects; which allowed the Main Gallery and the Crescent Wing Lower Gallery (below ground) exhibits to be fully accessible for people with physical and sensory impairments. A new education centre, additional display space, and improved shop, café, restuarant and other visitor amenities.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This project involved the complete strip-out of all the existing building engineering services and the design, installation and integration of new services within the existing building fabric; ensuring all services were fully maintainable. Assistive technology was designed and integrated into the building fabric to support people with sensory impairments.
The Main Gallery Building, constructed circa 1978, is a large rectangular steel framed building, clad with decorative panels and having significant areas of glazing. The internal space provides a number of specific areas within a large open plan environment. The Main Gallery comprises of gallery, exhibition space, restaurant, conservatory bookshop and café, gallery ancillary offices, school teaching and offices. There is a substantial basement corridor area associated with the Main Gallery with loading and delivery facilities.
The Crescent Wing, constructed circa 1991, is almost entirely below ground with the only visible feature from ground level, being the external entrance ramp and a curved glazed façade to the Southeast of the building. At one end of this glazed façade, there is a section of louvres that provide ventilation to the Crescent Wing plantroom at basement level. The Crescent Wing was originally linked to the Main Gallery at basement level only and comprised of offices, workshops, lecture theatres, exhibition space and ancillary accommodation and artwork storage.
The introduction of the new Link Building between the Main Gallery and the Crescent Wing now allows visitors to move between the two buildings without having leave one building to enter the other building. The Link Building also provided the opportunity to introduce new gallery areas and an educational resource area.
A new lift was installed to allow direct and step-free access between the Main Gallery and the Crescent Wing. Assistance for the hearing impaired included a Portable Radio Based ‘tour guide’ System and an Induction Loop System in all areas accessed by the general public including the main restaurant.
Outline Plans
SCOPE AND CO-ORDINATION OF SERVICES
| Structural Engineering | HVAC | Fire Engineering |
| Façade Engineering | Chilled water systems | Active fire protection systems to ‘performance level’ |
| Acoustics Engineering | Domestic water services | Fire Detection and Alarm |
| Security | Foul and Surface water drainage | Building Management System |
| Sustainability | Internal & External Lighting | Commissioning Building Services |
| IT | HV & LV power systems | Building Facilities Maintenance |
| Audio Visual | Standby power systems | Demolition and Enabling Works |
| Physical & SensoryAccess (Disability) | Lightning Protection |
Jennie Lee Building
Open University, Milton Keynes
The Jennie Lee Building, a major new building at The Open University’s (OU) Walton Hall campus at Milton Keynes was completed in March 2008.
Three years after IET and Computing moved in to occupy the new Jennie Lee Building, the official opening ceremony for the building was held on 19th July.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This landmark three-storey building at the heart of the Open University campus with architects Swanke Hayden Connell. The brief for the new Jennie Lee Building was to meet the Open Universities’ commitment to the environment, both campus wide and to the building itself; which was to house three faculties (Computing and Mathematics faculties and Institute of Educational Technology) whose combined research focuses on artificial intelligence and the impact of technology.
Therefore; wherever possible passive measures were integrated into the design of the building. Only resorting to mechanical interventions where the processes demand it; such as specialist ventilation; cooling, power distribution, lighting and control systems to all laboratory and server areas. The laboratory areas would form the focal part of the building.
All systems were selected with energy usage in mind. The building is largely naturally ventilated, and wherever the process within a space permitted it. Heat recovery measures were introduced to maximise plant/system efficiencies and the opportunity to recover ‘waste’ heat from high process gain areas to provide supplementary heating to the domestic hot water.
Outline Plans
Earth Duct Ventilation Strategy
1. Ambient air is drawn into the undercroft by stack effect augmented by mechanical means where necessary
2. As the air passes through the undercroft it is cooled by contact with the thermal mass of the ground
3. Risers distribute the air into the Honeycomb offices and Nexus (atrium). In winter the fresh air is heated at this point
4. Ductwork distributes the air to a low level supply in the Nexus and Honeycomb offices
5. Air is drawn out of the Honeycomb offices into the Nexus and as is it warms the air in the Nexus rises
7. Extract fans and vents exhaust the air around the perimeter of the Nexus roof
Advantages
1. No air handling units required for Honeycomb offices, thereby reducing running and maintenance costs and reducing the size of the plant rooms
2. The thermal mass of the ground reduces the incoming air temperature by several degrees in summer and warms the air in winter
3. Makes use of natural stack effect where warm air rises
4. Makes use of the predominant wind direction and fall across site
SCOPE AND CO-ORDINATION OF SERVICES
| Structural Engineering | Physical & Sensory Access (Disability) | HV & LV power systems |
| Façade Engineering | HVAC | Standby power systems |
| Acoustics Engineering | Chilled water systems | Lightning protection |
| Civil Engineering | Earth Duct Cooling | Fire Detection and Alarm |
| Sustainability | Foul and Surface water drainage | Active fire protection systems to ‘performance level’, including sprinklers |
| IT | Rainwater harvesting | |
| Audio Visual | Internal Lighting |
p>