Falmouth School & Technology Building | Urban Salon

The project came out of the Sorrell Foundation's 'joinedupdesignforschool' programme where pupils are given control and responsibility as clients. From inception through to completion, the project team worked directly for a client team of 11 pupils selected from years 9 and 10. This pupil client team took all design and budgetary decisions. The students asked for a landmark for their school that would provide an inspiring new learning environment and would demonstrate best practice for sustainable design. The 95sqm extension is a solid prefabricated cross-laminated timber construction with the timber exposed to the interior and standing seam pre-weathered zinc to the exterior. The timber structure was chosen for its environmental performance and was designed with half lap joints and has no visible fixings in the building. The ceiling within the extension rises from 3.2m to 5.2m, allowing even north light to flood the space, and creates the distinctive saw-tooth form of the building. The existing 580sqm Design & Technology studio was upgraded as part of the scheme. The refurbishment rather than wholescale removal of the existing workshops had the added benefit of less waste and lower embodied energy in building materials required. Coupled with the use of the prefabricated elements this lead to less construction time and less disruption to students and their education. The existing block now has a new roof, wood-fibre insulation, double glazing to prevent heat loss in winter and solar shading to the south of the building to prevent summer overheating. Other sustainable materials chosen include a lime-based render, recyclable zinc cladding and natural rubber for the flooring.