New Build Projects

Synopsis

Fitzalan High School
Victoria Slater, Associate Architect, Austin-Smith:Lord & Julie Holmes, Operational Manger – Capital Delivery, Cardiff Council

Case Study on the new build Fitzalan High School project in Cardiff – The brief calls for the provision of a replacement new 11-18 10FE high school including 350 post 16 places to address “D” condition categorisation and “D” categorised sufficiency issues in the local area. This £64m project represents a significant new facility for the pupils, staff and local community. Handing over soon to the LEA, the new school is built in the same area facing the catchment area that it serves. The scheme involved a significant enabling works package to re-provide and enhance leisure facilities for CAVC and other education and community sports stakeholders and helps to create a wider leisure and education masterplan in Leckwith.

A key brief objective was that the design of the new school should provide flexible and adaptable spaces to teach and learn the New Progressive Curriculum. The design delivers these principles and supports the changing role of the teacher as a facilitator of learning. The building is arranged broadly through sectional adjacencies into the new Area of Learning clusters with each cluster supported by a range of space types and sizes, supportive of project based and thematic learning. Three halls are positioned at the heart of the school, arranged in a dramatic sequence of spaces cutting diagonally through the building section, with main hall at ground spilling onto the dining space which is connected through learning steps to a Sixth Form Hall on first Floor, allowing options for accommodating large school events and engaging with Creative Partners and the wider community.

The whole school is accommodated within a single 3-storey ‘superblock’ arrangement, with a simple, efficient form set on a modular design grid providing an excellent framework in which we have created a wide range of exciting, flexible and adaptable learning spaces within.

MIM and Mynydd Isa Campus
Christian Stanbury, WEPCo & James Jones, Sheppard Robson

The Mynydd Isa Campus, set to open in November 2024, will accommodate over 1,300 pupils, aged 3 – 16, in a 113,000 square feet complex, and will be the first school delivered through the Welsh Education Partnership (WEPco) ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​

WEPco is a joint venture between the Development Bank of Wales (Welsh Government) and global investor Meridiam to design, build, finance, operate and maintain education infrastructure in Wales over 25 years‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​ ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌utilising the Welsh Government’s Mutual Investment Model (MIM) which sees private firms contracted to build and maintain public assets. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​ ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

This session will explore an overview of the design of the campus, the stakeholder engagement, the challenges encountered on the way, how they were overcome and the lessons learnt.

The session will end with thoughts looking forward as future projects emerge.