LHC undertook the masterplanning, architectural design, landscape and interior design for this major, award winning Academy project, which involved he sensitive conversion and restoration of a Grade 2* Listed cotton mill, transforming it into a state-of-the-art Academy and the Britain’s first University Technical College.
Location
Uttoxeter
Client
The JCB Academy Trust
Service
Architecture, Conservation
Sector
Education
Value
£22M
Area
8111 sq m
Sustainability
BREEAM Very Good
Completed
2010
Awards
‘Best Academy’ Best of British Schools Awards 2011
The brief demanded a building which would become an exemplar design that reflects 21st century engineering. A high quality, sustainable solution was paramount, which respected the sensitivities of the building and context, and met the operational requirements of a modern school.
Complex conservation and repair work was undertaken to provide twelve bespoke workshops, science labs, and flexible teaching spaces in the original buildings. Further administration and catering spaces were also carefully inserted into the building fabric.
A major new-build wing was added, plus a sports hall and outdoor courts. An innovative Powerhouse contains a biomass boiler and main controls for an innovative Archimedes Screw turbine and PV array which provide much of the power for the site.
Extensive pre-application consultation and communication was integral to the evolution, layout and composition of the final design.