Wakefield College Skills Xchange
The Project
Wakefield College Skills Xchange is a 13,450m², 4 storey, vocational skills college which forms part of Waystone’s 335-acre regeneration site off J32 of the M62. The Skills Xchange comprises “a state of the art” skills vocational training campus for Wakefield College. The building design embodies the key principles of flexibility and sustainability, and the creation of architecture and interior environments that are both aesthetically pleasing and environmentally comfortable to experience. Natural light, solar shading, maximising natural ventilation and super insulation all play a part in achieving this.
The iconic design for Wakefield College Skills Xchange includes many sustainable design features to include maximising natural ventilation and day light with a super insulated cladding construction. Roof light and natural lighting features are combined with passive ventilation voids and other energy saving features. This project comprises the delivery of high technology design, to a fixed budget which is flexible, serviceable and sustainable.
The accommodation comprises the college’s provision of teaching spaces for Construction, Motor Vehicle Engineering, Engineering, Hair and Beauty, IT and Care and Public Services. Specialist Mechanical and Electrical supply and environmental services, interior fitting out and equipment layouts are coordinated to provide a state of the art vocational skills based college facility.
Layout
The triangular building plan form was developed in response to the site, maximising interior floor area. The roof falls in a continuous rake at three degrees creating dramatic elevations, culminating in a glazed apex facing North to Leeds road. This creates an iconic architectural statement for both the site and Wakefield College, and has become a land mark approach.
The interior accommodation is set out over 4 floors that reduce in area in response to the inclined roof over. This provides opportunity for strategic placing of rooflight openings to provide top day light deep into the interior spaces, minimising the need for artificial lighting.
The interior arrangement is laid out to take advantage of this, with motor vehicle, and engineering workshops on the lower floors within the wings, with teaching spaces and academic offices set out on the upper floors.
The Learning Resource Centre is located within the centre of the triangle at the heart of the scheme, set in a capacious full height 14m high room. The LRC is top lit, with a dramatic roof light feature, and incorporates an arching bridge link at first floor level through the space.
Further kidney shaped floor void features are incorporated into the scheme at the entrance, culminating in a trodial glazed roof light supplying passive air distribution and maximising the penetration of natural light through
the interior space.
Innovation
This project involved many innovative and unique design details, including the development of the truncated triangular roof claddings and trodial glazed roof light structures and internal light wells, required to fall on a continuous three degree incline, over 160m in length. We hope the imagery supplied with this text provides some idea of the innovation in design required in delivery of this iconic building.
Design Principles
The building design comprises a steel frame, structure with pad base foundations, and a ground bearing slab. The ground floor is split level with a 3.5m retaining wall structure, to include below ground plant rooms. Upper floors are constructed in pre stressed concrete planks, providing thermal mass heat sinks.
Open grid ceilings are utilised to gain benefit of the thermal mass, with passive ventilation, voids that link between floors and areas, distributing and maximising this benefit.
The elevations are developed in composite panel cladding system, set on cladding rails, with areas of insulated rain screen render walls. The curtain wall glazing includes screen openings and semi structural glazing assemblies.
The roof is a dominant coordinating design feature and is developed with an acoustic perforated structural deck to control internal reverberation and is finished with a super insulated standing seam roof system. The roof falls at a continuous three degree incline over 160m requiring a provision of approximately 300mm of expansion over its length. At the junction of the external walls meeting the roof projection, non perforated decking is fixed to achieve an air tight detail.
Fenestration
The elevational treatment is developed to maximise, the benefit of natural light deep into the building interior accommodation, and transparency upon approaching the building. This provides a dramatic effect when illuminated at night. The natural light is shared through the interior by strategic placing of interior glazed screens.
The elevation glazing includes actuated opening lights that are controlled on air temperature and humidity sensors, providing natural ventilation, into the majority of the cellular spaces minimising the need for mechanical ventilation in the scheme.
Solar shading louvers are provided to the glazing to minimise and control peak solar gain. Solar glass sealed glazing units with argon filled cavities are used to maximise solar gain control, and U-value efficiencies.
All glazing and cladding construction interface junctions are developed to maximise air tightness to include sealed back joining plates and membranes. Further solar shading is provided to the fenestration glazing by the over sailing roof feature. Acoustic isolation detailing is provided within the glazing structure at each floor level to improve acoustic security.
Coordinated Development Team Approach
To maximise the opportunity for continuous improvement and efficiencies, key stage periodic design reviews were implemented including design team, client, partnering contractor and wider supply chain participation. This maximised the exposure of the design across the supply chain and developed opportunity for adding value in the broadest sense, delivering efficiencies in construction of the design on site, and in delivering best value for Wakefield College.
This process also enabled the design concept and detail development of the design to be reviewed against the key client project objectives to ensure these were met. This included review of the design concept, considering sustainability, the selection of robust materials, cost and the detailing of scheme design, to consider safe construction, lifecycle costs and maintenance, and sustainability in its broadest sense.
Collaborative Working
This project represents the complete delivery of a sophisticated, intelligent building and interior design, achieved through a managed process including designers, contractors and client working collaboratively as a cohesive team to successfully deliver the clients key objective of design excellence. This included coordination of many specialist designers inputs, and the production and coordination of sequenced tender and construction information packages. This included inputs from the extended development and supply chain team, under the management of Waystone.