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including 250 sixth form students. It also helped the students with ‘ownership’ and its vertical structure, each house having different age groups within it. The decision also allowed for the logical, largely radial
plan, with courtyard spaces separating each three-storey teaching wing and generous vertical circulation spaces unen- cumbered by fire escapes, which have been separated from the main stairs. The width of these four stairways should discour- age them from becoming the locale of bullying and other nefarious activities, while the light-filled walkways are another source of pride to the design team, setting it apart from the usual run-of-the-mill education buildings. In these times of changing funding mechanisms and poli-
tics of education buildings, it is worth taking a short break to look at how Barnfield West came into being. Barnfield, the local further education college, sponsored the academy – fairly unusually – since it was adjudged to be sufficiently commercial to qualify. The college in fact sponsors two schemes in the area, Barnfield South being the other. Following the introduction of a new head and senior manage- ment team, the western academy flourished in its former home, achieving the most improved school in the country award. Part of this was down to the new pastoral house sys- tem they instigated. The local authority went out to the original consultant-led
framework, inviting complete teams. Architecture PLB led a team to work on both projects, including structural, services, engineering, landscape architecture – all of the design disci- plines, but not including cost consultancy. Unusually again, Architecture PLB was appointed directly by the local authority up until RIBA stage E, but, meanwhile, the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme was being let – essentially a year of going through the competitive stages. So when they were at a stage at which they could appoint a preferred bidder, Architecture PLB was then novated. Mirchandani again: “The benefits were that we had been selected in competition, but not on the basis of a completely developed design – so there was no waste in the way that BSF was recently criticised, and it meant we had completely unencumbered access and the level of engagement here was very profound.” So, as the design developed, students, parents, teachers, and locals could become involved in how the academy could turn out. Similarly, the two proposed BSF bidders could give their feedback on the scheme, since one of them would have to take it on and deliver it for the right price. “It was kind of a halfway house and it worked really well,” says Mirchandani. At the time, around four years ago, the RIBA was arguing for what it called ‘smart PFI’ with many of the same principles
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© Timothy Soar
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