In the absence of direct communication with the existing client bodies, the following establishments were immensely helpful in giving Globe their update on current user requirements:
Visit to Norcot Nursery: Monday 29 March 2004
Di Heath, Head.
12 years in developing the Nursery to the point where they know that what they have works. Very much finding answers to needs as they arose and going after the money from whatever source was likely to bring the answer. Now a flagship in its area of expertise - from Mums and toddlers age to ready for local Primary Schooling in a very deprived area. It forms a Centre which draws the people with needs and has the back-up of Health, Library and Adult specialties within its walls. It started with one Terrapin building, added to by a purpose built new one and has a further one in the pipeline - with site space and money to do it!
The new building has low sills, small spaces around a central ‘waiting area’ with high ceiling and a first floor gallery which, with small spaces off, surprisingly, houses Mums and toddlers. There is access all round to outside, with covered areas and activity spaces of all sorts. Overcrowded now, (even Staff have space taken over), it supports 90 children with 12 full time and 22 part time staff
Mrs Watts, Bursar.
In a newly built satellite area of Fleet, the School will cater for 420, 2 Form Entry, but currently has around half that number in 6 Classrooms, with 1 Reception for rising 5’s, and 1 Spare. The remaining 6, (to bring it to 14), are under construction. Very simple plan, with wide corridor, expanded along its length, to give ‘shared’ areas, cloaks, and even drinking fountain spaces, (‘shared’ between 2 Classes). The Classrooms are along one side of the corridor with ancillaries, like Art, Cookery, Music, Special Needs and Toilets, along the other.
Staff have separate Entry, with the only car parking. All others enter via gate to Courtyard with Holm Oak and promised ‘Tree of Life’ wall sculpture by children and artist. Children enter and leave via Class doors from outside. Entry Area houses Reception Desk and Library, ahead to next Phase, right to Classrooms and left to Staff, Admin., Catering and Assembly Hall, with Servery, P.E. facilities and Stores. Children have School bags for lunch boxes and P.E. kit. Cloaks recesses have open storage and hooks. Trolleys used for lunches to Classrooms from Servery. Computers activate white boards.
Construction is steel frame with pitched roofs, (no trusses), brick and tiles. Controlled ventilation via ‘chimney’ at roof apex. Good quality finishes with simple detailing. Flooring mainly carpet. Fenced area for hard play surfaces and nature pond, etc. Full space allocation for games/sports areas.
Mrs White, Bursar.
Background of flooding in 1999 to 250mm deep, destroying services too.School is 45 child entry p.a., or 90/two years, so classes spread across rooms. Now have 11 Classes with a Nursery Class. No question of demolishing existing and starting fresh, due to cost. With main buildings Victorian, decision was taken to raise the floor 450mm for those and replace flat roofed areas with new. Approval restricted to keeping same overall footprint, but security improved by relocating Entrance next to existing Visitors’ car parking and temporary Classrooms replaced with permanent. Staff car parking with separate entry. Total cost £1.95 m., (new would have been nearer £4m.)
Very restricted site, with only hard play surfaces within.Always used nearby public playing fields for games, athletics, etc., and never had any problems. Raising the floor gave a very different feel. Undersized Classrooms were extended outwards and of course sill levels are that much lower. Corridors have improved roof lighting and glazed panels alongside doors. Large old kitchen reduced to galley shape, but works better, to give135 meals daily, via servery/chair/table store to Hall. Limited H.M./Office/Recept’n space but good Music/Drama and Storage + Special Needs. Central Store works well, rather than separate Class storage. New IT Suite (centrally in Classroom Area) has white interactive board. Good cloaks spaces; loos with full height cubicles - a must now. Again quality of detailing and finishes excellent; flooring mainly carpet.
Danger in seeing ‘one size fits all’ solution! The socio-economic statistics for the Norcot area clearly support the approach of centralised facilities for Early Years, (Nursery) there. The availability of both site area and access to funds over a 10+ year period has allowed development to suit the needs of that area. Tilehurst Village is a different situation, (i.e. Families are more self sufficient, with many fewer in the very needy category, the very tight site area with no room for expansion, limited access to funds, together mean seeking a broader than the ‘packing everything in’ solution so far proposed).
Looking at the two Primary Schools, Elvetham Heath starts with a 19ha (?) site area, new build cost limits and no other communal facilities to take up area.The layout has the separate class space approach, with shared ancillaries; separate staff access, no visitor parking; adequate admin., etc., and entry space; no on site nursery, but take rising 5s. Advantage of phased development helps spread cost over consecutive years and fits existing needs without temporary classrooms, etc. St. Bede’s was closed by the flood, so had temporary classrooms till adaptation work was complete. Raising the floor was a brilliant answer to their flooding problem and gave unexpected benefits (e.g. lowered sill heights). The existing Victorian buildings allowed easy adaptation to new needs - incidentally giving a very similar ‘feel’ to Elvetham. Same approach educationally but with some visitor parking. The limited site space means they have always shared sports field facilities with no problems. The biggest single advantage is that for £1.95m they have virtually a new school. Both schools love their answers!
All new Hampshire Libraries have the same approach, looking to provide flexible space to cope with existing needs and future possibilities. The emphasis is on a broader vision, e.g. the Discovery Centre, Gosport, (See Hampshire website & D.C.M.S.”Framework for the Future”), integrating mainly with the Adult Community, as there is a separate Schools Library Service. At Lymington, visiting the old highlighted the need for both level floor access and open space with flexibility. The height restriction in lower floor areas showed the poor spatial effect of the two storey height building compared with the new single height. Public comments favourable, now they’re used to the new site.
From these insights it would suggest that the alternative Globe proposal deserves consideration for the following reasons:
1) Tilehurst has so few buildings in the public arena worth conserving, which cries out for both the present Park Lane and Laurels buildings to be retained;
2) The possibility of Phased Development makes the £2m grant for the School become less daunting as a target;
3) The Laurels could be readily adapted to give larger Early Years accommodation at less cost;
4) Park Lane School building could be adapted to give level access, large open area flexible space, for the Library, with the Hall for Adult Communal use;
5) The remainder, (South end), could accommodate the Clinic;
6) Car Parking for Library and Clinic for disabled and other visitors would not reduce the School Site area.;
7) No on site visitor parking on the School site can be used to encourage walking to School, as at Norcot;
8) If the joint use of the Blagrave Recreation Ground is accepted, as St.Bede’s and elsewhere, the major point of conflict would be eliminated.
Large Airy Classroom in Victorian Building
Classroom with interactive white-board
Note doors to outside, teacher's easy chair and store, acoustic tiles
