Architect: Aedas
Fabricator: Hurricane Architectural
Main contractor: Balfour Beatty Construction
Products: MODAL low rise glazing, integral opening vents, fixed lights, GXi sliding door
The first application of MODAL, Technal’s new low rise aluminium façade system, is now under construction, having been specified for the Sirius Academy and Ganton Special School in Hull.
Scheduled for completion in Summer 2011, construction of this inspirational learning campus is well advanced and the glazing has now been installed. The Hull National Academies Framework project will replace Pickering High School and provide a new site for Ganton Special School.
A Visionary Scheme
The visionary scheme will provide a new 1,650-place academy, specialist support for 40 pupils with visual and hearing impairments, and Ganton Special School, which will accommodate a further 88 pupils.
The oval-shaped landmark building comprises four storeys of teaching accommodation organised around a full height atrium space with community and enterprise hubs and multi-agency space.
MODAL – An Innovative Modular Design
MODAL is a rapid-build low rise façade system – and the first to offer integral opening vents. It has an innovative modular design, which will reduce work on site, installation time, and gives specifiers a wider choice of configuration options.
Around 4,000sqm of the MODAL system have now been installed across the campus building as part of a £1m fabrication contract. Finished in grey with grey glass, MODAL is being used on every elevation, both as fixed lights and with an integral opening vent to minimise sight lines. Vertical aerofoil caps will provide solar shading and the GXi balcony door, which is fully integrated with MODAL, has also been specified.
Strong Sustainability Credentials
It is hoped the scheme will achieve a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating. Features designed to minimise its impact on the environment include biomass boilers, a wind turbine, rainwater harvesting, an air source heat pump, natural ventilation and highly glazed elevations to maximise natural light.
The new academy will make a lasting impression on the local community, with its creative design for a bright and modern learning environment. Its diverse facilities will include dance studios, a hair and beauty salon, external construction workshop, ICT-rich specialist areas and an eco-dome for environmental science.
Comments from the Design and Construction Team
Phillip Jackson, Associate Director, Aedas:
“Our specification criteria was for a glazing system that would maximise light, and accommodate large floor-to-ceiling spans of glass without large frames. It also had to co-ordinate with the rainscreen cladding.”
“MODAL will give us a good overall appearance and is sufficiently robust for a demanding secondary school environment. It has effective thermal performance to minimise heat loss and gain, and will help us achieve high levels of acoustic protection, which are important as the site is located near a busy road.”
John Cowie, Design Manager, Balfour Beatty Construction:
“The MODAL system is allowing us to keep the frame weight and size to a minimum for both aesthetics and natural light. It has the benefit of a fully integrated opening vent that reduces the visible aluminium as an effective alternative to inserting a window into curtain walling.”