State of the Art School Campus
The ability to create a flexible, multi-purpose design solution that could accommodate many different requirements has enabled architects Race Cottam Associates to deliver a state-of-the-art school campus project in Keighley, Yorkshire. Operating as project architect and leader of the design team for main contractor Educo, Race Cottam Associates created a development which now houses both the Pheonix Special Educational Needs (SEN) Primary School and the mainstream Merlintop Primary School, in a 21st century learning environment that also includes facilities for use by the local community.
The design – on which Race Cottam worked closely with Educo -
The brief for Race Cottam was to bring the Pheonix SEN School
together with the existing Guardhouse Primary School (now renamed Merlintop) onto a single campus that would promote greater integration between the staff and pupils. The Race Cottam design team took part in detailed discussions with the school governors, staff, parents, pupils and numerous other stakeholders to ensure that the finished project would accommodate many different sets of requirements, especially the special educational needs of the Pheonix pupils. “This was a very complex and lengthy project that was intended to
provide a focal point for the regeneration of the local community,” comments Race Cottam’s project Architect Carlos Pla. “It posed many different requirements which had to be considered, as we wanted to create schools which would help increase the achievement levels of the pupils and also encourage greater community involvement. We pride ourselves on having an open and approachable attitude to our work and in the initial discussion phases this helped tremendously by generating some extremely valuable input from the various parties.”
12
Enquire via:
Our online database at
www.cpbsonline.eu
allows the two schools to enclose their own courtyards which act as a large central open space that draws light and air into the surrounding buildings. As well as providing a focal point for the development these courtyards also function as secure external teaching spaces. The majority of the internal teaching spaces have been designed to
face the south, so that the benefits of passive solar gain can be maximised while allowing the occupants to enjoy impressive views of the valley where the school is situated. The particular requirements of the special education needs pupils had a major impact on the design of the Phoenix School, where the internal teaching spaces have been designed to be interconnecting. This allows them to be combined in different ways so that the school can accommodate changing levels and types of disability as the school population evolves over time. Many different types of disability are represented in the school’s community - from visual and hearing impairment through to autism - and Race Cottam was careful to accommodate the design implications of each of these by including such
Post using Enquiry Card
See inside back cover and Fax to 01435 863897
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36