Nottingham High School for Boys

Category Building Design
Client Nottingham High School for Boys
Agency / Designer Architen Landrell

Brief

A spacious, airy and modern facility was the brief when GF Tomlinson and Maber Architects were contracted to build a new sixth form centre at Nottingham High School for Boys. Maber Architects were keen to combine old and new; the original school buildings are nearly 500 years old and incorporate intricate stonework designs. By installing an ETFE cushion roof, the aim was to create a beautiful juxtaposition between these building materials.

Result

On completion, the brand new Sixth Form Centre and Dining Hall was officially opened by the Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, Sir Andrew Buchanan and School Captain, James Taylor and has since received much acclaim. With the new centre being a usable space at the heart of the school, sixth form students are able to play a key role in school life and also provide an inspiration to younger pupils - a key requirement when the design for the new centre was originally conceived.

Solution

The project involved the design, manufacture and installation of a two layer ETFE cushion roof over an atrium area in a high school. Architen Landrell provided a multiple steel truss arrangement supported on a series of steel columns to support the 25 no. two ply ETFE foil cushions. Architen Landrell also fitted a sound suppression system to reduce noise levels during heavy rainfall; this layer acts as a dampener to soften the sound of the droplets hitting the tensioned cushion surface.