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Contractor : Costain, a contractor on the Devon framework panel.

 

 

The cost of the construction of the project, including a modest amount of external works was £1.8m. A figure significantly below the DfES guideline.

 

 

The purpose of the project was to provide teaching accommodation for the school’s English and media studies department. The school is on a split site which is being consolidated onto one campus.

 

 

The accommodation comprises of 16 classrooms on two floors, together with associated recording facilities, storage and toilets. The area of the building is approximately 1500m2. The classrooms on the upper fl oor are grouped around a circulation and social space. The concept is in line with the exemplar designs produced by the DfES as a prelude to the Building Schools of the Future programme.

 

 

The design is in outward appearance traditional with a tiled pitched roof and rendered blockwork walls. The campus colour scheme is black and white.  Sun shading is provided to the windows.

 

The scheme design incorporated the revised details to meet the requirements of BB93 for acoustic performance. The building is noticeably quieter than projects constructed prior to the introduction of the new performance standard.

 

To provide acoustic separation in the external wall where there is a ribbon window the adjoining windows are separated by a vertical window. This breaks the continuity of the sound which would have been otherwise transmitted by a mullion. The same rhythm of window has been adopted around the building which gives it a pleasing and somewhat novel appearance. Providing such a feature will also add to the adaptability in future when partitions are moved and the same feature of the break in the continuity of the window can be utilised.

 

The ceiling to the upper floor classrooms follows the underside of the roof providing the opportunity for a clerestory window, cross ventilation and added daylight to the rear of the classroom. To improve ventilation classrooms were limited to 7m deep.