Intelligent construction
Innovative approaches to learningare changing the nature of educationalbuildings and in some cases demandingnew approaches to construction.
Modern methods of construction (MMC) can unlockways of developing the sort of awkward sites that occurwhen an institution grows over time, as well as telescopingthe time spent on site to fit with holiday periods. MMCcan also achieve significantly higher quality of finish thantraditional methods, with benefits for maintenance andimage. This goal informs all our work, and is especiallyapplicable in educational buildings because it allows timeon site to be reduced to a minimum, reduces defectsand maintenance costs, and can raise quality withoutincreasing cost. Shorter construction periods also reducethe inconvenience and impact of construction work onexisting facilities.
This technology allowed us to make flexible teachingspaces for Birchwood High School on a leafy campusin Hertfordshire as well as a stacked series of classroomsfor an adult education centre on an inner city site inLewisham. We are developing these principles furtherin a new pre-cast concrete system that has the potentialto reduce energy running costs by 75 per cent.
Our competition-winning design for Brunel University’sFaculty of Engineering and Design is an equally imaginativeresponse for very different circumstances. Universitiesneed large, flexible clear span spaces that can respondwith agility to quickly changing teaching methods. Theproposal is for a striking form which conveys the faculty’sinnovative ethos and creates uplifting spaces for researchand teaching.