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Horticulture

Reaseheath College, Nantwich, Cheshire

Sector: Education & Industry

3D image of the proposed Horticulture Department at Concept stage

Background
This project was designed as part of the College's Phase 3 campus redevelopment and comprised the wholesale replacement of the central Horticultural campus buildings, which were all tired and run down. The College wanted a new campus to be able to offer teaching facilties commensurate and able to compete with other Agricultural Colleges in the Country.

Ethos
A range of buildings were designed around two courtyards, on the ethos of form follows function and comprised barn style blocks, sheds, glasshouses and a feature tropical house.

Facilities
Entry Pre Entry: A teaching block dedicated to young Adults with Special Needs with bespoke facilities for Entry and Pre Entry level young Adults. This block was later constructed using different funding.

Service Block: A part brick part timber shed constructed to house Staff facilities, Offices, Changing and ancillary accommodation

Tractor /Tool Store: A part brick part timber shed constructed to house the College's tractors, mowers, wheelbarrows and other Horticultural tools used by the department. Students would use this facility to sign out the tools they needed for practicals.

Landscape Shed: A part brick part timber shed constructed to provide teaching facilities for external hard landscaping projects, but carried out sheltered to allow all year round teaching, .

Glasshouses: Two Cambridge glasshouses to replace tired, dilapidated, broken and rusting existing glasshouses to accommodate growing plants in separate areas.

Feature Glasshouse: A Specialist Horticultural Facility designed to accommodate three different environmental tropical and temperate growing zones with two teaching blocks attached. The main roof over the zones comprised a tetra vinyl chloride roof (like the Eden project) providing perfect growing conditions for plant teaching. This was to be the centre piece of the horticulture department.

Funding

Funding for the facility was to come from a learning Council bid which was taken to Stage F1 shovel ready before the 2010 recession meant that th government paused funding for all but 19 projects across the UK.

Status: Project taken to Stage F1
Value: £4m
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: Steven Hunt (SHA)
Contractor: Felton Construction