One of the first schools to be completed in Bradford’s £400m Building Schools for the Future programme features façade systems from architectural aluminium specialist, Technal.
Designed by Anshen + Allen and built by Educo – a Costain/Ferrovial joint venture – the new Titus Salt School in Shipley for Integrated Bradford was one of four national Pathfinder projects. Since its completion, the school has been voted one of the top six new secondary schools in the UK – the only school in the North of England to be nominated.
The building occupies a narrow sloping site between woodland and the Leeds Liverpool Canal. The design has a monochromatic palette with large expanses of glass created from Technal’s MX Visible Grid curtain walling system, to help integrate the more public areas of the school into the surrounding landscape.
The curtain walling was used to form the main entrance, full height stairwells, to enclose the assembly hall overlooking the garden spaces, and to create a large picture window for the breakfast room with 3m spans and integrated brise soleil sunshading.
The MX system also features as 3m high glazed units set into stone next to the ‘Spanish steps’ – the community approach to the school – and was faceted where it wraps around this building. Here the glazing contrasts with a stone base which adds solidity to the design, helping to reinforce a sense of civic pride in the school.
Technal’s FXi65 aluminium casement windows were inserted into both the curtain walling and the stone cladding, for natural ventilation. CD commercial doors were also set into the MX curtain walling for access from the teaching blocks to the garden courtyards. All the Technal systems were fabricated and installed by Quest Solutions.
The school comprises six three-storey wings which radiate off a central ‘street’, providing a social hub and accommodating informal break-out spaces, with shared school and community facilities located at one end of the spine.
Other architectural features of the new school include a large roof terrace for the art department with 360 degree views, and light toned render to articulate the faculty wings which group the classrooms together in identifiable units and minimise the impact of the building on the skyline.
Technal’s MX curtain walling system gives specifiers a wide range of design options from a single grid – low to high rise curtain walling, MX Trame for horizontal or vertical emphasis, ribbon, faceted, structural, beaded, acoustic and sloped glazing. This choice of configurations allows the appearance of the building envelope to be varied and on a single project, with all the advantages of one fully integrated system – consistent site lines and interfaces, simplified specification, ease of fabrication and installation, cost efficiency and reduced time on site.
For further information about Technal’s façade products for education applications, including the new MODAL low rise framing system, call 01924 232323, email info@technal.co.uk or visit www.technal.co.uk.
Images courtesy of Anshen & Allen Architects/Tim Soar
Client: Integrated Bradford
Architects: Anshen + Allen
Main contractor: Educo – a Costain/Ferrovial JV
Structural engineer: SKM
Façade systems: Technal
Façade fabrication/installation: Quest Solutions (UK) Ltd
Project Name: Titus Salt School
Project Location: Shipley, West Yorkshire
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