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A very short shortlist for Leicestershire school...
John Ferneley College at Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, is one of three buildings shortlisted for the “Building of the Year” category in the 2010 ProCon (Property and Construction) Awards scheme.
The winner will be announced on 11 November in a ceremony at the Walkers Stadium, Leicester. Completed in April 2010 for client Leicestershire County Council with Willmott Dixon Construction and Integral Engineering Design, the £15.5m college provides places for 800 secondary school students on a 14.4 acre site.
Early consultation with stakeholders established that the teachers, pupils and governers wanted to avoid an institutionalised feel in their new school. So White Design and Integral Engineering Design worked closely together to come up with a solution that maximises the advantages of natural light, with stack and cross ventilation controlled by a Building Management System, which the occupants can override if they choose to. The design also incorporates occupancy sensing for lighting control as well as zoning for heating and lighting to allow out-of-hours community use.
Extensive thermal and daylight modelling was carried out in the early design stages to optimise the location, orientation and height of the structure and associated car park and play areas. The building occupies a single storey on the southern side with no internal level changes and a double storey to the north consisting of three accommodation stairs and two lifts which facilitate the same user experience of the building for everyone.
