Abingdon & Witney College’s new Livestock Technology Centre has completed on site. The project which includes the construction of a new indoor riding school will extend the College’s potential to integrate technology into their courses. It features both a large practical space, changing and bio-security areas and a theory teaching room.

The new building will be used to teach animal husbandry across a wide range of livestock. Working closely with the farm manager and the Head of the Faculty the fit out was coordinated with the shell building to create a facility that both reflected a real work environment and had the IT infrastructure to support the technology.

Photographs courtesy of PMP Consultants.

A planning application has been submitted to and approved by West Oxfordshire District Council for Abingdon & Witney College’s new Agritech Innovation and Skills Centre at their Common Leys campus near Hailey. The building will provide a highly serviced environment to support courses and research relating to livestock husbandry. It combines theory teaching spaces and a livestock area capable of supporting the latest technology and providing wifi access to portable devices across the campus.

The design provides a space that allows for the care of the animals according to the latest working practices, combined with modern design which uses an ‘agricultural’ portfolio of materials which will reflect the farming context. In providing the new facility the College will also construct a new covered riding school to replace the existing one lost as part of the scheme.

The scheme will be completed for early 2019 by the design team which includes PMP Consultants, Couch Consulting, Halligan Associates and the Richards Partnership.

Above, visualisations generated in 3D modelling software Revit from a model which will also provide all the construction details.

The practice’s first project delivered to BIM level 2 has completed on site. Constructed by Beard Construction the scheme is now being readied for the technical fit out of the technology laboratory and CADCAM workshop. Project architect, Stephen Jackson says ‘it has been a massive team effort with collaboration between designers, client and contractor throughout the process of delivering the scheme’.

Site photos taken during the process of handover.

Planning consent has been granted by Coventry City Council for our design to extend Sidney Stringer Academy in Swanswell. The first floor extension will provide a new base for the school’s post 16 pupils including an open study space, teaching rooms, office accommodation and cafe area.

The external cladding extends the vertical striped pattern on the adjacent sports hall and incorporates large windows to Cox Street creating a well lit interior.  Visitors and disabled parking space are retained at ground floor level with pedestrian connections to the school’s main entrance.

Robothams are working with Shires, Halligan Associates, PMP Consultants, OCC and Cundall to create the new spaces for the start of the 2018 academic year.