EDUCATION FACILITIES

Having successfully completed the Parklands College Sandown campus in 2012, Henry Fagan were again appointed as Structural Engineers for the addition of the new Learning Hub. The centre comprises a series of adaptable rooms that are arranged around a central hub, connecting three single- and two double-storey teaching blocks. The double-volume glazed atrium hub has courtyards on either side and is surrounded by perforated aluminium screens. A steel frame glazed façade and lightweight steel roof with trusses spanning 14 to 16 m over the atrium and entrance lobby creates an open, column-free recreational area for exhibitions, informal gathering, and self-study.

The screens ensure a light, airy space without harsh light. The teaching venues provided suit different learning methods. Three large single storey “collaboration rooms” accommodate up to 90 learners. Screens allow these to be adapted to form two or three smaller learning spaces. Eleven general classrooms, two large workshop-style rooms, and an innovation laboratory where building and crafting can be explored have also been provided. A series of smaller spaces are designed to accommodate project work in smaller groups.

Coffer slabs were chosen at the classrooms making use of their spanning efficiency and good acoustic and thermal performance, while in circulation and service areas, where spans are shorter, flat slabs were used. Other features include the amphitheatre-stair and audio-visual room for immersive digital experiences, and a kitchen within the atrium. In response to the 2016-2017 drought, roof slabs over ablutions were designed to support storage tanks for rainwater harvesting.