Schools and further education
High quality education is essential in stimulating their minds and allowing them to achieve their full potential as they grow
The best buildings can enable this, assisting with high achievement and attracting the teachers who can help to deliver a world class learning experience to their students.
From “getting the basics right”, with high quality ventilation, daylight, and simple controls, through to innovative designs, we bring our experience and skills from over a hundred school projects in the last decade to benefit the generations of tomorrow.
Tailoring to your needs
There are many school building types, ranging from publicly funded and procured new campuses through to private fee paying schools. These each have their own challenges and opportunities, with a variety of contexts, briefs, budgets, and client expectations. Our projects cover all required building types, bringing in our expertise from other sectors to support specialist facilities such as sports, science, vocational studies, and performing arts.
With projects spread across the world, we bring global expertise but with a local flavour.
Building performance means money
Reducing energy can result in significant savings in running costs, allowing additional investment in teaching and learning. With many schools having limited resource available to support building users in optimising operation of their environment, we aim to design buildings which are simple to operate and minimise unnecessary energy use. Along with this, our role as government advisors in providing high quality environments with low carbon performance recognises how we have helped our clients over many years by ensuring that they get the most from their facilities.
Making the most from your facilities
Many school buildings suffer from seemingly intractable problems which can often be solved simply.
Large numbers of people moving around in short periods can reduce teaching time and increase the risk of behavioural issues. Our specialist people flow modelling team can unlock these issues in new and existing buildings, ensuring that students can move between lessons efficiently and more pleasantly.
As education and learning evolve over the years, our Asset Management team can help you to review your existing estate from strategic and detailed perspectives.
Services we offer
- Feasibility and economic viability assessments
- Building design optioneering and collaboration with architects
- Environmental and sustainability assessments
- People flow projections and assessments
- Inclusive design
- Structural, civil and ground engineering
- Building environment, MEP and facade engineering
- Acoustics and lighting design
- Fire, security and technology services
- Project management
- Post Occupancy Evaluation and operational advice
Project Highlights
Teaching by example
Hawaii Prep Academy
The Energy Lab at Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s K-12 campus provides students with a 7000ft2, state of the art science facility dedicated to the study of alternative technology. Our client’s fundamental goal was to create a world class energy research center that gives students first hand experience of on site energy generation, and demonstrates the value of living sustainably.
By liaising closely with operations staff at the Academy, our engineers were also able to design an innovative building automation system that continuously logs and monitors data in occupied zones and reacts by optimizing the Energy Lab’s performance through its energy systems.
An academy of excellence
Thomas Deacon Academy
Thomas Deacon is the UK’s largest academy, with 2,200 students from three pre-existing schools. The Academy strived to move towards a style of teaching that encompasses a more ‘university’ style of learning; where many traditional lessons are replaced with lectures, seminars and tutorials.
Our structural solution provided a stunning visual statement for the Thomas Deacon Academy, delivering a building that students feel proud to attend, while the work that we carried out to understand how students would move around the space has ensured a safe and secure environment for all users.
Energy efficiency and educational excellence
Wiltshire College Redevelopment
Wiltshire College wanted to create a new facility at its Chippenham campus that would provide students with a state of the art learning environment and support plans for economic growth in the town. Dedicated to vocational training and apprenticeships, the £21 million building houses workshops and vocationally tailored spaces, as well as simulated work environments.
