Brookfields Special School, Reading
West Berkshire Council
Construction of Key Stage 5 Facility, Brookfield’s Special School
Sector: Education
Project: Key Stage 5 Facility, Brookfield’s Special School, Reading
Client: West Berkshire Council
External finishes: Plastisol Steel & Cedar Cladding
Contract value Region: £1,450,000 approx
Our brief
Extraspace Solutions were awarded the contract to design and build a new key stage 5 modular building for Brookfield’s Special School in March 2010, after a competitive pre-qualification and tendering process. A key Stage 5 facility facilitates young adults aged 16 – 19 years to continue with education, post compulsory years.
Design requirements
The new building at Brookfield was designed to meet the following criteria:
- Help raise standards at the school by the provision of suitable and sufficient teaching and support accommodation
- Improve the profile of KS5 within the school and the wider community
- Create a better business/work ethic environment
- Help in providing facilities that will make the KS5 pupils feel they’re being treated like young adults
- Provide sufficient and suitable accommodation for incoming pupils
- Provide a friendly, warm and positive environment to prepare young people for the next stage in their lives
Extraspace employed Hulme Upright Architects and S. I. Sealy’s Mechanical & Electrical Consultants to generate the initial concept design and to adequately consider the required building and fire regulations.
The design took full cognisance of all the client’s requirements and integrated the new building with the existing one in a seamless transition.
Extraspace Solution
The modular accommodation extends over 800m2 including a 100m2 covered external patio area. The building was specifically designed to cater for the special needs of young adults aged 16 – 19. In order to incorporate a sustainable and accessible deign Extraspace Solutions included Sensory rooms, PMLD (Profound & Multiple Learning Difficulties) & SLD(Severe Learning Difficulties) Classrooms, Ceiling mounted personnel hoists have in PMLD Classrooms and the fully fitted out wet room/accessible bathroom, bright and spacious corridor area’s and ramped access routes to the building. The structure has been future-proofed to allow for the increase in use of such mechanisms, as well as a second floor at a later stage.
The new KS5 building is linked to the existing school via a 15m fully glazed link corridor which allows all pupils and staff free and easy access to the new facility.
