Education
Avon Valley School
Following an arson attack, the school was almost completely burnt down, the only parts remaining were a recently completed teaching block and a sports hall built in 1995. The first priority was to provide temporary school premises in time for the start of the new term.
The rebuilding of the school was an opportunity to increase the pupil capacity and to provide a modern up-to-date teaching facility.
The design solution was a lineal building in the form of an arc connecting the surviving teaching block and sports hall with curriculum based teaching blocks radiating out on one side from this central spine. The central spine also provides the principal circulation route or "street" on all levels. To overcome the steeply sloping nature of the site the building was located parallel to the line of fall with a substantial retaining wall resulting in split level ground floors.
The building is constructed using a traditional steel frame with concrete intermediate floors, masonry internal walls, profiled metal single membrane roofs and a mixture of brick and cladding external walls. The mixture of single, two and three storey structures contains 45 teaching spaces, learning resource centre, gymnasium, dining room, fully equipped 200 seated theatre which also doubles as the School hall, a suite of performing art rooms together with administration offices, reception and student services.