STUDENTS in the North East have been working with an architectural firm on provisional plans for a new Eco centre at their school.
Students at Haydon Bridge High School in Northumberland have worked closely with Newcastle architectural practice Space Group and the initial design for the new zero carbon eco-centre has now been unveiled.
A planning application will be presented to Northumberland County Council in September, with work scheduled to start in January.
If planning approval is given Space Group will work with constructor GB Building Solutions as part of the Northumberland Council Framework.
A group of sixth form students who attended agricultural courses in old buildings, decided to undertake a feasibility study on creating new classrooms within a new Zero Carbon Eco centre.
With the help of the council, they lodged a £1m bid with the Government’s Department of Children, Schools and Families, which was successful.
It is planned that half of the money will fund the new Eco centre and the other half on improving the energy performance and carbon footprint of the existing school, which is a typical 1960’s flat roofed building.
The renewable energy measures will apply to the Eco centre and the existing school, and will encompass, Photovoltaic panels, solar water heating, a small scale wind turbine, a biomass boiler, that will serve the existing school, and an air sourced heat pump for the new Eco Centre.
The school has the largest catchment area of any school in England, with a total of around 700 pupils, 60 of whom are boarders. Plans for the eco centre, which would deliver agricultural, sustainability and environmental education, include a flexible science lab, greenhouses and land for horticultural needs.
Space Group project lead Keith Handy said: “For us, this has been a really great project to work on.
“We initially met with year 12 student focus groups and drew up plans that encompassed some of the original ideas which the students spent so much time researching. We used our own valuable experience to develop a design that was pleasing to all, and which delivered in terms of both functionality and sustainability.
“This is an exemplar project that has to deliver on number of sustainability issues, it is also intended that this project will help to influence future schools for both refurbishment projects and new school buildings.
“The use of renewable technologies incorporated into both the new and existing buildings will be monitored in great detail to appreciate the benefits in both energy usage and carbon reductions which can be achieved. The design also has to be sustainable in functional content, allowing it to meet a wide range of end user requirements and flexibility is a key feature of the design, allowing the spaces to be used for a wide range of activities from science labs to lecture space.
“It’s not often you get to work on a something that’s going to have such a real life impact and the students have put a lot of work into the research, their enthusiasm has been infectious.
“Our design philosophy for the Eco Centre incorporates the key elements of Passivhaus principles, this is a sustainable design philosophy, which focuses on both minimising heat loss through the building fabric and maximising heat gains by both the environment and internal usage. This reduces the reliance on over complicated, building services and exploits basic good practice design principles, for example, orientation, fenestration, building envelope and air tightness. This is fundamental to the wider design of quality management procedures, we as a practice are adopting.”
If planning approval is given, the centre will be built by the school’s existing greenhouses, so the ‘statement’ structure can be highly visible, without being a hindrance to any potential future redevelopment of the rest of the school.
It will be centred around two rooms – a science lab and a general classroom – and will also feature a ‘break-out’ centre space and external sections for outdoor learning.
Benches in the lab will be movable to create space for events if required, with the centre already being billed as an educational hub not only for Haydon Bridge, but for its partnership schools and the community.
It will also form a new centre for students undertaking the diploma in environmental and land-based studies.
Aluminium, wood panelling and glass will feature heavily in the design, with sophisticated double glazing meaning heat loss is minimised and overheating prevented.
A sedum roof over the larger classroom will reduce the surface water run-off into the existing sewers prevent the need for drainage systems, while water flowing from the other large roof will be utilised on the allotment gardens through a simple irrigation system. This is an essential requirement of all new developments.
Wind turbines and other renewable technologies will form the main power sources, in order to minimise the reliance upon energy sources from elsewhere.
York Hospital, deputy chief executive Mike Proctor’s new home completed by Space Group.
A HEALTH chief was so enthused by ward refurbishments at his hospital - he asked a Leeds architectural firm to complete a Grand Designs-style project to create a stunning new family home.
Following the success of work at York Hospitals, deputy chief executive Mike Proctor tasked Nigel Pilkington, associate director at Leeds-based Space Group, with designing a striking four bedroom home for himself, his wife and two children.
Mr Proctor originally considered extending a small 1950s bungalow on the site in Haxby, North Yorkshire, but soon realised that this would not maximise the site’s potential or provide the family’s dream home.
Amongst its many features, the interior design includes glazed partitions, timber framed picture windows and a dramatic skylight over the central staircase.
Space Group project architect Tania Kosma said: “We asked the family to compile a scrapbook of different buildings and interior images that reflected their aspirations for their new home. Following the initial consultations it became apparent that a ‘Grand Designs’ style project would satisfy their brief.
“It was clear that they wanted something very modern that would also be practical for a busy family life. The long, narrow 1,200 sq metre plot presented many design problems, but also many opportunities to adopt a creative design approach resulting in an elegant and minimal solution.”
York Hospitals’ deputy chief executive Mike Proctor said: “Space Group rescued us from the design wilderness; its ideas and vision fired our own imaginations and opened our eyes to possibilities we would never have been able to consider without them.
“We now have a wonderful home that works on every level. My experience in this project has reaffirmed my long held belief that to achieve success in anything in life you have to surround yourself with good people and trust their judgements. Our fabulous home is testament to the quality and skills of the architects.”
Space Group worked to take full advantage of the beautiful surrounding views, which start from the grand oak double door entrance, with glazed surround, allowing glimpses of the landscape beyond.
The interior opens up to the main living and dining area, which utilises a five metre wide sliding-folding glazed-screen to ‘bring the outside in’ and maximise the views to the garden.
“It was a great opportunity for us and fulfilling to know that following the successful healthcare projects that Mike would also commission us to build his family home,” Tania added.
As these Grand Design-style projects don’t come around as often as the architects would like, it’s now business as usual for Space Group, successfully winning ProCure21 contracts with North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust and Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust.
Bunny Hill in Sunderland was designed by national architectural firm Space Group.
As the exemplary health and community facility celebrates its third birthday, we go back and find out how the good design has helped change lives and bring a community together.
Star of the show: Space Group’s 3D visualiser Hugh O’Neill with the Space Group marketing picture which he stars in.
AN architectural firm committed to encouraging a creative working culture has turned one if its people into a star of its annual marketing campaign.
Space Group’s 3D visualiser Hugh O’Neill is the talk of the office after securing a starring role in a contemporary set of new company images, which will be used extensively to market the business.
Just as hardware store B&Q announced that it has used more than 500 staff in its TV advertisements since 2006*, Space Group has also utilised its people to be the face of its new website and the company’s online social media portal ‘Space Life’ which houses its Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and blog posts.
Hugh, 32, adopted a pilates pose in the company’s last campaign and has this year swapped his jeans for a pinstripe suit, Blackberry and briefcase.
The image, taken on the roof of Gateshead’s Baltic Place, was taken to portray the ‘work’ element of the firm’s six divisions - work, play, care, learn move and live.
For the second year running Space Group has commissioned local creative photographer Sasa Savic to shoot the images, to reflect the company’s community work.
Sasa’s work went on display at _spaceworks’ own gallery in Gosforth, Newcastle, in June, where the company holds a monthly Think and a Drink event to support local talent.
Space Group chief executive Rob Charlton said: “Instead of turning to a pricey modelling agency we decided to utilise our own people in our marketing efforts.
“Each year, Space Group commissions a photographer to reflect our work in the community.
“Following the success of last year’s images, which included my own little daughter Daisy, we have re-commissioned Sasa, an emerging professional photographer, to really bring our brand to life.
“Space Group is passionate about nurturing up and coming talent and we have been very delighted to support Sasa’s work once again.
“These images will be used extensively to market the business and are featured on our website and have been displayed in space gallery throughout June.”
Hugh said: “I have been involved in the Space promotional pictures for the past two years now so people have been calling me the ‘face of space’ which is fun.
“In my day job, I take the architectural elevations and transform them into 3D visualisations or artists’ impressions so to actually be involved in front of the camera is really interesting and I’m pleased to have been given the experience.”
The images will be exhibited at ‘Space Gallery’ during its Think and a Drink event on Thursday 25th May until the end of July or can be seen on www.spacegroup.co.uk
Tony Wyatt, Associate Director of _space architecture
THE man who led the award winning urban design and conservation input into Newcastle’s historic Grainger Town and East Quayside regeneration has joined architectural firm Space Group.
Tony Wyatt, former Urban Design and Conservation Group Manager at Newcastle City Council, has been appointed as Associate Director of _space architecture.The 54-year-old from Gosforth, Newcastle, will be responsible for the firm’s integrated regeneration urban design and environment service.
He brings with him more than 30 years’ public and private sector experience and is also an independent National Specialist Advisor.
Tony said: “This was a terrific opportunity for me to take on a new challenge and join a really progressive company.
“My job is to develop the Group’s urban design, master planning, historical and natural environment and landscape services.
“I look forward to using my national and public sector contacts to build up this area of Space’s business.”
Tony is currently an urban design advisor on the CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) national Design Review Panel. He was selected in 2006 and his term has recently been extended until 2011.
His extensive experience also saw him being invited to join the Home Office design review panel in 2008, with a position on both the North-East and North-West regional design panels following this year.
Tony has been an Executive Member of the national Historic Towns Forum since 2006, serving as Vice Chairman in 2007.
Space Group CEO Rob Charlton said: “To attract someone of Tony’s calibre is a real coup for us.
“He is extremely well regarded in his field and we look forward to further building our urban design reputation with his help.”
_space is a design, build and operate business centred on people. We create sustainable communities that make life better and offer opportunities to those who use them.
There are three independent companies within the _space group; _space architecture, _space build and _space facilities. They each deliver quality specialist services individually, but can also work together to provide creative, integrated solutions that give real value to the people we work with.
_space architecture - creative design and communication within the built environment.
_space build - construction management for sustainable environments.
Image of the proposed Eco Centre. 
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