coombes : everitt Your Sector Accxel Further Educatio Training Centre
Accxel Further Education Training Centre
Sector
Further Education
Client
Accxell
Location
Cinderford, Gloucestershire
Project Value:
£3m
The new Construction Further Education Centre based in Cinderford, Forest of Dean, provides 980sqm of learning space to equip workers with both knowledge and practical experience of the latest technological advances in sustainability and ‘digital construction’.
Led by K W Bell Group, in collaboration with Gloucestershire College and the University of Gloucestershire and with the support of leading industry partners including JCB and Leica, the goal is to establish a centre of excellence to inspire, train and connect people entering and advancing within the construction industry.
The Brief:
A purpose built multi-dimensional learning environment that offers a flexible space to support a range of teaching and learning styles and encourages and engages understanding and critical thinking. The centre also needed to accommodate facilities to support student well-being and comfort.
Key Challenges:
To provide a learning environment that could evolve with the changing needs of the construction industry and the opportunities offered by learning technology.
We were delighted to have been involved in such a new and innovative approach to Education facilities.
coombes:everitt architects
Our Responsibilities:
Specialist Advice
Our Solution:
Collaboration was crucial to the project’s success and as lead designer we supported the sharing of insights across the wider team. The collaborative approach adopted was like no other, with remarkable commitment, passion and enthusiasm from all involved.
Our design principle adopted a fabric-first approach, focusing capital expenditure on the fabric performance of the building and thereby the longer term sustainability. Photo Voltaic Panels (Renewables) on the roof of the building also serve to further reduce the operational carbon emissions of the building.
With flexibility at the forefront of the design, we aimed to create an inspiring learning environment with multi-purpose spaces that could adapt and accommodate a range of teaching and learning styles as required. For example retractable sliding walls and moveable furniture quickly and easily convert a 100 seat lecture theatre into two 30 seat classrooms.
Also a suite of different size learning spaces ensure that the learning environment can be tailored to specific teaching and learning styles thereby encouraging and engaging understanding, critical thinking and active learning.
Our innovative, student-centric design includes spaces for more traditional teaching such as lectures, classroom and seminars as well as a state of the art simulator suite and outdoor work and surveying spaces to build practical knowledge and skills. At the heart of the building is the student hub – an area where students can relax, interact with other students and collaborate on projects and assignments. Facilities include a café, kitchen and break out areas. Integrating the latest digital learning technology was a key consideration throughout to promote interactive and collaborative learning.
The flexibility of our design is also recognised through the opportunity to promote the facility as an external community resource for local networking events.
