Sheppard Robson, known as the designers of the first zero carbon house in the UK, has received planning permission for the £29m Waingels College in Woodley, Wokingham – incorporating a cross laminated timber structural system that will reduce its carbon emissions by 60%.

The architects describe their project as follows:

‘Developer Willmott Dixon is replacing the existing college and asked Sheppard Robson to showcase the latest technologies in sustainable design. Computer designed cross laminated solid timber panels will create the school’s load bearing structure – a sophisticated ‘flat pack’ system.

The timber comes from sustainably managed forests, fabricated to high tolerances and erected on site with expeditious efficiency. Wood is a natural, renewable and inexhaustible raw material when sourced from a forest where every tree felled is replaced by another one planted.

The departure from traditional steel and concrete frame systems is an innovative move for the education built environment in the UK. The timber structure has less embodied carbon than steel or concrete, creates minimal waste and offers a cheaper build alternative following a sharp increase in the price of steel.

Sheppard Robson’s proposal divides the school into three pastoral bases which are expressed as individual learning communities, conceived as a ‘school within a school’: the community becomes a village of teaching and learning spaces; the central  Open Heart space as a village green; and a fourth building houses the large shared assembly and dining hall spaces.

The internal areas are designed to be open ,  flexible  and adptable , replacing the traditional long, gloomy school corridors with naturally lit break out spaces, encouraging cross-curricular interaction  and learning opportunities.  The design as been developed to promote the use of  natural ventilation throughout, natural light  and  exposed  timber  finishes   to  break down the mass of the school and delivers a building that relates to its users on a more human scale.

Pierluigi Chinellato,  Associate at Sheppard Robson, comments “It will be exciting to develop such an innovative design using naturally sustainable building technologies. The structural timber construction has many environmental benefits and we eagerly anticipate the teachers’ and pupils’ positive engagement with their new surroundings.”

The timber structure has less embodied carbon than steel or concrete, creates minimal waste.

The new buildings will provide space for 1,500 pupils and 172 teaching staff. The two phase construction programme for the College is expected to start early in 2009, to be completed in October 2011. ‘

More information: www.sheppardrobson.com

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