WASHINGTON SCHOOL AND AUTODESK REVIT

Architectural practice Space Group recently helped Washington School with its £20 million make-over.

Delivering the vision of the school and the council has been aided by the use of pioneering technology, Autodesk Revit. This software allows the designers to move forward from traditional two-dimensional drawings, constructing the building in its entirety in 3D.

MAKE SPACE FOR NEW SENSORY SCHOOL

SPECIAL needs children across Tyne and Wear and Cumbria have moved into their brand new state-of-the-art school with sensory garden this week.

Northumberland County Council appointed Space Group to design the new-build £6.2m Hexham Priory Special Needs School in Dene Park, Hexham, to accommodate for the increase in student demand.

As a special needs school, it caters for students with profound learning difficulties aged from three to 19, and will now house 80 students - double the number that attended the original school on the same site last year.

Space Group’s environment team were also commissioned to design the school’s adjoining 330sq metre sensory garden, which features a range of stimulants such as wind chimes, a water fountain, a colourful poker dot path and musical instruments. This was part funded by Northumberland based children’s charity Wooden Spoon. The new school also has a private memorial garden for the children to remember late fellow pupils.

Space Group landscape architect Katia Simmer said: “The sensory garden was created as a stimulating outdoor classroom for the children; a place where they can excite their five senses. They can touch, smell and even taste the plants in a herb garden.

“A colourful patterned path connects all musical instruments, water displays, mirrors, grass mounds, climbing boulders and timber seating. And stepping-stones made out of different materials allow the children to feel a different sensation on their feet.”

The original school, that housed only 40 pupils, will now be flattened to make way for a new playground.

Hexham Priory Special Needs School head teacher Michael Thompson said: “It has been so satisfying to see the pupils settle into their new school this week. The bright and airy contemporary design combined with the landscaped areas, and the separate nursery area for the younger children really works, and the pupils are responding well and thoroughly enjoying their new school.

“We needed a new school to accommodate recent increases in demand to take on students from across the county stretching from the border of Tyne and Wear to Cumbria in the West.

“Also as we have a series of outreach programmes, it is very accommodating to welcome the wider community to our new school.

“Funded by Northumberland County Council and designed and built by Space Group and GB Building Solutions, we now have a school which we are all proud of and which will certainly enrich the lives of our students.”

Space Group lead architect Ed Mapplebeck said: “We have worked closely on the design process with the teaching staff for the past two years and they have all been a pleasure to work with.

“Their vision to create a bright, vibrant and stimulating school design was music to our ears.

“We are all really pleased with the end results and it is great to see the children enjoying their new school environment.

“The school design strongly integrates into its environment, taking careful consideration of its surrounding landscape and context.

“Views both to and from the school have been carefully considered to ensure both students and staff have a strong sense of their place in the surrounding environment.”

MAKE _SPACE FOR SCOTTISH PROJECT COMPLETION

Space to Learn: The four completed schools across Dumfries and Galloway designed by Space Group.

A NORTH East architectural firm is continuing its development in Scotland after the successful completion of almost £40m worth of education projects.

Space Group – which has offices in Newcastle, Yorkshire and the North West – has joined forces with a consortium of building contractors to develop four new schools in Dumfries and Galloway.

Space Group has worked alongside contractors Farrans Construction, H and J Martins and Patton Group. It has designed new-build facilities to house Castle Douglas Primary School, Kirkcudbright Primary School, Wallace Hall Primary School and Academy and Stranraer Academy.

The first school to be completed is Castle Douglas Primary School with students due to move in this month (September 2009). The three other schools are set to receive their keys within the next six months.

Space Group director Steve Brooks said: “It has been very exciting for us to work on such a large scale brief and one in which we were able to showcase our capabilities and strengths.

“We have a very strong reputation in the education arena, having worked on projects that have received national recognition.”

Space Group has worked on each of the four sites over the past four years, further strengthening its reach and reputation in Scotland and is now considering a more permanent base in the region following the success of these projects.

The 200-strong practice, which was established in 1957, is gaining an increasingly strong reputation for its joined-up approach to sustainable communities.

Mr Brooks continued: “Space Group was appointed for its reputation in creating sustainable communities, in which a creative learning environment is at the heart.

“Every school has been designed with flexibility in mind - where every child can learn at their own pace and walk into a building that makes coming to school exciting and challenging.

“Our social responsibility is central to the business ethos, and we want our success to enable sustainable communities wherever we operate.”

Farrans’ contracts manager Warren Wright said: “As with every major construction project, this one brought its own distinct set of challenges. From day one, it became clear that the scale of the project involved building new educational facilities that would be a big deal for the region, and that would receive a very high public profile. There were also expectations of a high quality product, ready on time.

“Space maintained the pace and balanced contractors’ demands, providing timely information and expertise to bring value in a very competitive market. The team maintained good practice and at the same time gave precedence to maintenance and life cycle costs for the end user.”

The £40million construction projects included the new build of three schools and an extension to Stranraer Academy.

The key design aspiration of the Stranraer Academy extension was to create a ‘bold beacon’ - a landmark building that stands out and encourages lifelong learning for the secondary school students and wider community.

The existing building was retained and refurbished while the new building, which is hoped will become an important symbol of the community and the ‘face of Stranraer’, was designed as a simple, adjoining geometric cube.

The other projects included the amalgamation of two existing primary schools on the Kirkcudbright Primary School site to house pre-five and primary age students under one roof. The school was designed to be a landmark, featuring a multi-use games area which will be utilised by the local community.

The school has been separated into two zones, with the academic accommodation and a brand new sports hall flanking the entrance. The classrooms have been laid out as a natural evolution, with the pre-fives at the front of the school, graduating to Year 5 and Year 6 near the rear, towards the existing Academy, thus expressing progression throughout the pupils’ school lives.

Castle Douglas Primary School includes pre-five, primary and Additional Support for Learning Scotland (ASFL) students, who are due to move in this September.

The overall design provides specialised accommodation for each age group and the aim is to create a harmonious community under one roof.

The school is zoned to promote an open and welcoming learning area for students and the larger community, whilst also allowing for individualised learning spaces.

The building has been designed to embrace the surrounding landscape. The upper ground piggybacks the lower ground, forming a green roofed learning terrace that overlooks the scenery. This was designed to create a physical metaphor for ‘finding their own way’ as the students progress throughout their school years.

Wallace Hall Primary School and Academy are co-located on one site, incorporating a pre-five, primary and secondary school. Whilst the schools are separate, the accommodation has shared areas such as the sports, dining and administrative rooms.

This design is aimed to give the site a feeling of ‘one school under one roof’ and providing a thematic, consistent teaching approach throughout the students’ educational life. Inspiration for the location and design of this school was drawn from the surrounding landscape and the desire to create something bold and stimulating.