Gloucestershire College

Gloucestershire College

Gloucester Civic Trust Award: Best Climate Friendly Scheme 
RIBA/LSC Further Education Design Excellence Award – Highly Commended

AWW was appointed to design a major campus redevelopment, relocating the College from its existing buildings to a brownfield site within the historic Gloucester Docks. The scheme provided 20,500sqm of new build accommodation reflecting the varied activities of the College.

The teaching areas, particularly in the construction workshops, were designed for flexibility and can be easily reconfigured to accommodate changing curriculum needs. The project faced a number of significant challenges, including building within a few metres of both the Grade I listed Llanthony Priory and the canal edge. Site contamination, caused by the site’s former use as both a railway siding and vehicle park, was successfully remediated on site.

The building is predominantly naturally ventilated, incorporating chilled slabs in areas with high cooling demand. The project included the conversion of a turn of the century dock cottage into a childcare facility for the College – refurbish and re-use, rather than unnecessary demolition.

“English Heritage, Gloucester Civic Trust etc but also the wider City, as the newly formed Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company was keen to promote the heritage credentials of the regeneration programme by demonstrating what could be achieved. I am pleased to say that AWW rose to the occasion… The result was a project delivered to a tight budget, three weeks early and which produced an urban College with a parkland backdrop which continues to excite all those who pass through its portals.” –  Jeremy Williamson, Managing Director, Cheltenham Development Task Force

The project included the sensitive conversion of a turn-of-the-century dock cottage into a childcare facility for the College. The decision to re-use the old building minimised waste and avoided unnecessary demolition, protecting the built asset for future generations.

“Value engineering on the teaching areas was used to maximise the effectiveness of space usage so that the college maximised space and provided flexibility in the future. The College (the Construction section) in particular was designed to be a flexible space and reflect the changing demand for particular skill sets. For example when first constructed, the area for Plumbing was by far the largest. This has subsequently been changed as the requirement for painting and decorating and brick laying have developed.”

Chris Mitchell