Brumby Engineering College

North Lincolnshire

Designed by NPS Property Consultants Ltd.

Overall design quality rating: not yet good enough

Comments:

The strategy of a new building to the Cemetery Road frontage, a covered route around a central courtyard, a sports hall extension to block L and the remodelling/refurbishment of blocks L and F is positive but some weaknesses are evident in the design. The complex appearance of the new building, and its position slightly set back from the street edge, mean that the school’s civic presence, and the way that its engineering specialism is conveyed, are not as clear and strong as they could be. The entrance arrangement - where everyone passes under a double height covered space between the new science/technology and art wings - is positive. The reception area and the external courtyard that lead off this covered space both appear to work well. The variety of different spaces for outdoor learning and socialising indicated are welcomed and are crucial to the success of the project. The principles of the environmental strategy are positive but the configuration of the new roof is over-complex. The covered walkway would benefit from additional resources to ensure that it is as robust and attractive as possible. Overall, further rationalisation of the architecture is needed, to ensure that the strong principles of the scheme are realised and that money is spent on inherent design quality rather than on more superficial features such as curved roofs.

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