Melksham Oak Community School
Footprint Architects were commissioned by the local authority for the design of a new building to expand Melksham Oak Community School, in Wiltshire. Located on the outskirts of the historic town of Melksham, this school expansion project increases the capacity of the secondary school from 1350 to 1500 pupils.
Sustainability
High ceilings absorb stale air whist exposed concrete keeps the classrooms warm in the winter and cool in winter, lowering the school’s energy usage.
Making the Most of an Existing School Site
Consisting of a series of seven teaching blocks, each with their own unique identity, the Melksham Oak Community School campus is situated on an environmentally sensitive site at the edge of a rural setting.
Instead of building on playing fields, our education architects identified an underutilised area of the school site, where the spoil from the original school build had been located. This ensured that no open play space or sports facilities were lost as part of the new school expansion. It also retained the open countryside feel of the school site.
Teaching Facilities to Inspire the Next Generation
At the heart of the new secondary school building is the atrium, a light and welcoming double height circulation space that links the teaching spaces to a central ‘street,’ providing opportunity for breakout and social interaction.
Classrooms each feature high ceilings to absorb stale air and aid ventilation, whilst large windows maximise natural daylight, making teaching spaces feel bright and airy.
Context & Place
Sliding doors enhance the space, connecting the interior with the surrounding countryside, providing both a sense of place and an uplifting learning experience.
Flexible Teaching and Community Use Spaces
The school building design supports a variety of teaching and learning methods that encourages collaborative working. A clever folding wall enables the dining hall and sixth form social areas to merge together, creating a larger multipurpose space for exams, events or evening community use.
A series of sliding doors open up this multi-functional space, connecting the students with the surrounding countryside and providing a sense of place.
Designing a Cost Effective and Robust School
Internal finishes are sophisticated and muted, creating a more mature atmosphere to better prepare sixth form students for future education and personal development. Natural timber cladding defines breakout areas, creating spaces for social interaction whilst also absorbing sound to make spaces to feel welcoming and calm.
The use of both painted brick walls in corridors and concrete ceilings throughout reduces the need for expensive plaster finishes and the ongoing repairs or maintenance.This also has unique sustainability benefits too. The exposed concrete surfaces create thermal mass, retaining heat in the winter and remaining cool in the summer. Not only does this make students feel comfortable in their classrooms, but it also lowers running costs and reduces the carbon footprint of the school.
People & Communities
The secondary expansion provides an additional 250 school places for the local area, offering our young people in Wiltshire with the best opportunity for their future.
Creating a Sustainable Secondary School
Our education architects thought carefully about the orientation of the new secondary school building. This was to maximise the benefits of passive environmental design and ensure that classrooms were well ventilated, didn’t overheat and weren’t subjected to glare.
The new school building has been is wrapped in high levels of breathable, non-combustible insulation, creating a warm and safe environment for young people to learn in, whilst reducing heating demand.
The use of a lightweight steel framed system SFS kept weight of the building down and reduced the amount of concrete needed in the foundations, reducing the embodied carbon. Whilst natural linoleum flooring covers the circulation spaces, a UK made and climate positive material thats easy to clean.
Overall the new secondary school building improves the social and cultural wellbeing of both pupils and staff, and is adaptable to a larger range of modern learning requirements.
Relevant Projects
Award winning entrance pavilion & expansion of a grade II listed victorian school
A vibrant Post 16 centre that promotes independence for young people with autism spectrum disorder ASD
Get Your Project Off The Ground
Get in touch today to kick-start your project. Let us know a few details and we’ll be in touch to discuss bringing your vision to life.
