To celebrate twenty years working for educational organisations across the country the practice has published a brochure that gives an overview of Robothams’ current education portfolio. View or download the Education Profile by clicking here
Above, the brochure’s front page, an image of Sidney Stringer Academy.
Above, a sample page from the brochure.
Robothams have been commissioned by Warwickshire County Council and Wates Construction to create a SEN school in Nuneaton for the MacIntyre Academy Trust. The school will accommodate pupils with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and behaviour, emotional and social difficulties (BESD). This is required to meet demand for high quality specialist provision for pupils who are otherwise placed outside of the County with independent providers.
MacIntyre Academies is a multi-academy trust for special schools and specialist alternative provision. Sponsored by the national charity MacIntyre, their schools benefit from 48 year’s experience of innovative approaches to supporting children with special educational needs and their families.
The School will initially offer 26 places upon opening, rising to a provision of 80 full day places for children aged 9-18 years. It is envisaged that class sizes will be around eight to ten pupils.
The scheme reuses a former secondary school made redundant by the creation of the Nuneaton Academy in 2011. The existing courtyards and twentieth century brick facades have created a foil against which to set contemporary insertions to augment and extend the existing space. Closely connected landscape and spatial strategies combine to deliver a successful setting for this type of school.
Above, the existing buildings provide an intimate scale and private courtyards create a range of opportunities for outdoor activities.
Above, concept sketch of internal courtyard space.
The project is being led by Andrew Haines and Dawn Spicer, drawing on their experience delivering North Leamington School, and two free schools in Birmingham.
Dawn says of the scheme, ‘it is an inherently sustainable project, the scale and character of the existing buildings will create a delightful school for the pupils with minimum impact on local residents’.
Planning consent was granted in April for the project, with Wates Construction due to complete the school in early 2016 for occupation by the first pupils in September.
The practice have been appointed by Thomas Vale, part of the Bouygues group to design a new primary school in Coventry. To be delivered under the EFA Regional Framework as a free school, the client is the Sidney Stringer Multi Academy Framework established by the ‘Outstanding’ academy of the same name, and advised by Mace.
The first academic year will begin in September with temporary accommodation provided within the EIC, one of the practice’s earlier pieces of work for the school. The new school will be ready for its second year of operation in 2016.
Designed to accommodate 420 pupils from 4 – 11 years the school completes the Learning Quarter concept begun in 2004 with the construction of City College Coventry with the aim of acting as catalyst for the redevelopment of Swanswell and Hillfields.
Above, an aerial view of the site
Project architect, Justin Metcalfe said “we are very proud to be involved with this project as it continues our involvement with the regeneration of this part of the city, and allows us to work again with Thomas Vale and the school.”
A planning application has been submitted with a start on site anticipated in autumn 2015.
Above, images of the building in context.
Planning permission is being sought from Warwick District Council for the next phase of the University of Warwick’s Sherbourne Residences. The application seeks consent for a second phase of 273 study bedrooms to extend the campus of 550 bedrooms completed in 2012 by Shepherd Construction.
The application also includes accommodation for staff and a Management & Energy Centre building set in landscaped grounds.
The project is targeted to achieve BREEAM Excellent and be open to students for the academic year beginning in 2016.
We have been instructed to develop the detailed design by Deeley Construction of an extension to the award winning MCBB building at the University of Warwick. The building has been designed by BMJ Architects and is being delivered on a design and build basis.
The extension will contain additional laboratories, write up space, storage and plant areas and is due for completion in 2016.
David Sercombe of Robothams said, ‘this is a prestigious project for us to be involved with, building on our existing relationships with Deeleys and the University’.
Images by BMJ Architects
Last year saw Robothams complete a major refurbishment at Warwickshire College, including the internal and external refurbishment of its six storey teaching block. The scheme involved wrapping the building in a rain-screen cladding system, installing new windows and sun-shading to control solar gains. The project has transformed the external appearance and significantly improved internal comfort and energy use.
Before and After, at Warwickshire College
In parallel we have been working on a similar scheme for Abingdon & Witney College where a 1960’s system built teaching block has been upgraded at their Abingdon campus. A lightweight insulated render and blue brick shell hangs from the building’s concrete frame creating a crisp new facade and image for the College. The scheme is due for completion in 2015 with funding from the Skills Funding Agency.
Before and After, at Abingdon & Witney College
The key benefits of over-cladding are:
We are currently working on similar projects for a number of other Colleges and Universities including the re-cladding of a twenty two storey tower in Coventry.
For more information contact our education team.
We have been appointed under Aston University consultant framework to design a scheme to refurbish the Viscom building in the northern part of the campus. The principal occupant will be Aston Students’ Union who are currently defining their requirements ahead of the design phase of the project.
An image of the existing Viscom building before refurbishment
The project forms part of the University’s master plan illustrated on their website and will be adjacent to a new home for Aston Business School within AUE1.
The appointed contractor, Bouygues have begun piling on the next phase of Abingdon & Witney College’s redevelopment of their Witney campus.
On a key site on Welch Way the new building will provide a range of spaces for teaching and exhibition which has allowed the removal of Weavers, a temporary block erected in 2008. In addition a new construction skills building will be erected at the southern end of the site adjacent to the refurbished Holloway building.
The practice has been commissioned to prepare a master plan study for Southam College to identify opportunities for the performing arts curriculum at the school. An ‘Outstanding’ state maintained school for 11 – 18 year olds it has 1440 students including a sixth form of 240 students. This project builds on a growing portfolio of similar arts based schemes for schools both in the private and public sectors.
Above, cross section through the new performance space for Rendcomb College
The refurbishment of the former home of A E Housman has been completed on site and is a further addition to Bromsgrove School’s portfolio of boarding houses.
It was intended to replace the existing outmoded boarding accommodation on a phased basis, with pupil numbers being maintained at all times. The new boarding houses are designed to be vernacular in form to fit into the conservation area with contemporary interventions limited to double height structural glazed entrance foyers.
Within the existing listed building the proposals have returned the rooms to their original form and reinserting the Georgian architecture combined with expanding the existing dining area to permit all students at the sixth form campus to sit together for meals.
The proposals preserve and enhance the character of Housman Hall by removing the unsympathetic extensions replacing them with a more appropriate development, retaining the existing listed building and enhancing the buildings mature leafy surroundings. The core philosophy of the site plan was to extend the landscape foil, removing car parking and built form from the centre of the site and relocating it to the perimeter, providing a landscaped setting for the listed building to breathe.
