Delta City Learning Centre Completed in 2004
The building’s construction, fit out, management and running costs were funded by the Government’s ‘Excellence in Cities’ Initiative. I was responsible for the design of this project from RIBA B to Completion.
The purpose of the new building is to provide a new environment that promotes ICT-based learning and explores new ways of teaching. Essential to the CLC concept is, that the service provided is shared between a network of schools in the area, providing state-of-the-art ICT based learning for pupils. The building offers enhanced ICT-based learning opportunities for schools and evening community groups. This is accomplished through a range of media, including graphics, video and sound and through varied approaches: Collaboratively, by video conferencing and individually through online learning via the Internet. Music Technology is also taught, with the centre running it’s own radio station.
The design represents the forward thinking learning and teaching that takes place within the building. The design features two wings, housing the main teaching spaces, withthe radial cyber café, linking the two. The glazed cyber café enjoys a view of playing fields, and is used for both, teaching and a ‘drop in area’.
The cyber café features 3No pods each housing 4 workstations and high level mounted plasma screen TV’s to facilitate teaching, as well as an Ethernet IT installation and a wireless network.
The wider brief was to explore possible changes in the way schools are designed and constructed so that the building becomes an example and precedent for future new buildings. The building utilises a raised access floor to allow for flexibility in the services installation and to accommodate any future alterations. Modern office fit-outs were considered in the design stage as appropriate comparators for services integration. This was considered as being the direction that new schools would be heading in. All cable tray routes run beneath the floor and power and data supplies to each area are in floor boxes. Flexibility is further considered with the use of demountable partitions and a sliding folding wall, separating two of the teaching spaces. These features were incorporated with the Egan principles in mind of ‘better, faster, cheaper, (with more off-site manufacture, resulting in higher build quality and fewer defects).
The building’s construction, fit out, management and running costs were funded by the Government’s ‘Excellence in Cities’ Initiative. I was responsible for the design of this project from RIBA B to Completion.
The purpose of the new building is to provide a new environment that promotes ICT-based learning and explores new ways of teaching. Essential to the CLC concept is, that the service provided is shared between a network of schools in the area, providing state-of-the-art ICT based learning for pupils. The building offers enhanced ICT-based learning opportunities for schools and evening community groups. This is accomplished through a range of media, including graphics, video and sound and through varied approaches: Collaboratively, by video conferencing and individually through online learning via the Internet. Music Technology is also taught, with the centre running it’s own radio station.
The design represents the forward thinking learning and teaching that takes place within the building. The design features two wings, housing the main teaching spaces, withthe radial cyber café, linking the two. The glazed cyber café enjoys a view of playing fields, and is used for both, teaching and a ‘drop in area’.
The cyber café features 3No pods each housing 4 workstations and high level mounted plasma screen TV’s to facilitate teaching, as well as an Ethernet IT installation and a wireless network.
The wider brief was to explore possible changes in the way schools are designed and constructed so that the building becomes an example and precedent for future new buildings. The building utilises a raised access floor to allow for flexibility in the services installation and to accommodate any future alterations. Modern office fit-outs were considered in the design stage as appropriate comparators for services integration. This was considered as being the direction that new schools would be heading in. All cable tray routes run beneath the floor and power and data supplies to each area are in floor boxes. Flexibility is further considered with the use of demountable partitions and a sliding folding wall, separating two of the teaching spaces. These features were incorporated with the Egan principles in mind of ‘better, faster, cheaper, (with more off-site manufacture, resulting in higher build quality and fewer defects).
