40 PROJECT REPORT: EDUCATION & RESEARCH FACILITIES
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The two-storey brick-clad composition features three steeply pitched roofs and chimneys expressing the six chemistry labs below
The project was put on hold however before being restarted in earnest in 2015 as a more all-encompassing STEM centre, says Vowels. In the intervening years, Design Engine delivered two other buildings on the site – an extension to dining facilities and a student accommodation block. In addition to chemistry labs, the new expanded brief included maths classrooms (co-located with science for the first time at the school but flexibly designed for later conversion into biology classrooms), plus a refurbishment of the school’s existing STEM accommodation – to be carried out in a future phase.
PROJECT FACTFILE
Client: Charterhouse School Architect: Design Engine Architects Main contractor: Total Construction Structural engineer: Heyne Tillett Steel
Contract value: £6.1m Floor area: 1800 m2 CLT supplier: Stora Enso Zinc supplier: VMZinc
Brief & site Founded in 1611, Charterhouse had a goal to ensure it remains at the forefront of educational progress, and this project plus later phases are a major part of realising that goal. Design Engine Architects commented: “The school’s aim was to revolutionise the way science and mathematics subjects are taught at Charterhouse by fostering inter- and intra-departmental collaboration.” The building, which doubles space for STEM provision at the school, lies near the north eastern perimeter of the site, backing on to the sports field, and is therefore very prominent – putting an even bigger focus on getting the design right. The site is “surprisingly tough,” said Vowels, being a focal point of the vista from the school’s main entrance on Prince’s Drive, but the designers grasped the opportunity to “repair” that vista. Over the years the view
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had deteriorated somewhat, the grand historic buildings sitting adjacent to a “collection of lower quality buildings.” The project architect explains how the approach of enhancing rather than creating a strident contrast with existing buildings helped ensure the design remained a viable option from the start, to the project’s subsequent reanimation. “One of the initial competition sketches we did was the view from the main entrance. It was very much about complementing what was there.”
Forms & materials
The two-storey brick-clad composition features three steeply pitched roofs and chimneys, expressing the six chemistry labs below – creating a subtle but important architectural link to the original campus, and in so doing creates a striking, but contextual addition. As well as being appropriate to its context, the resulting form also provides the appropriate volumes to deal with the internal and functional requirements of the educational facilities housed within. Part of the client’s brief was the avoidance of flat roof products, which led to the entire roof being finished in zinc standing seam. “They wanted something that was of high quality, and also had longevity,” said Vowels. In addition, he explains that the whole structure being of one material, down to gutters and downpipes, minimised the interfaces of trades, and “kept it simple from an installation and maintenance perspective.”
ADF DECEMBER 2019
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