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Engineering Academy

Reaseheath College, Nantwich, Cheshire

Sector: Education & Industry

View of the New Engineering Block.

Background
the Engineering academy was part of the Phase 2 campus redevelopment. Planning Approval was granted in Spring 2007 for a New dfES funded Engineering Academy.

The facility was a new initiative to serve 14 to 16 year old Pupils still at School who would study at the college one day a week, with a view to them going on to Further Education in Engineering or taking up an Engineering based occupation.

Work commenced on site in early 2008, superstructure was completed for September 2008 with final fitting out of Engineering fixtures in October 2008.

Ethos
The new building was designed to break up the long low Engineering façade, with different coloured cladding providing textural relief and the appearance of several separate buildings.

The Building is one of the first Students and Visitors see when they enter the remodelled campus; located fronting the main Student and Visitor’s Car Park and was an important feature in the campus’ redevelopment plans.

Facilities
The development provides a Teaching Classroom, small Office and Toilets, with an Engineering Workshop and two Vehicle Repair bays set out to mimic what would be found in a typical vehicle repair workshop. 
 
As well as providing state of the art training facilities for School leavers, the building provides an ideal facility for those in Industry wanting to develop new Engineering Skills and Techniques.

External Works
We had recently completed a car park alteration and expansion project at the campus. Externa works for this building involved completing a pedestrian footpath access to the entrance, and vehicle entrance to the workshop from the car park and access road which had been designed in for completion at the end of the car park project.

Social Value
This project improved the overall appearance of the colledge and was oone of the gateway projects seen as potential students entered the colledge campus. This building was adjacent to the Engineering Stores and recladding of the Engineering building projects and so a unified pallette of three materials with cladding in teo different colours was used to break down the overall volume and expanse of the buildings and drasticly improve the appearance of the colledge buildings.

Construction of the Engineeering Academy allowed pupils still at school to visit the colledge for specailist courses and be introduced to further education and industry work methods.

Then pupils could go on to make a choice when they left school about going into full time further education and engineering courses.

Status: Completed Sept 2008, Fit Out and open Oct 2008
Value: £1.2m
Type: New Build
Contract: Design and Build with Architect novated at stage F1
Client: Reaseheath College
Architect: Associate and Project Architect whilst working for Hulme Upright
Project Manager: MACE
Quantity Surveyor: Sense
Structural Engineer: ABA Consulting Engineers
M&E Consultant: Building Services Management (BSM)
Contractor: Felton Construction