Project: New entrance lobby and lift installation to meet current DDA legislation

Credon Centre, London Borough of Newham, Kirton Road, Plaistow, London E13



BRIEF
The brief required the remodelling of the existing entrance and lobby in the Credon Centre, a teaching support unit in the London Borough of Newham housed within a converted Victorian school building.
The entrance had to be made more accessible by removing level changes and a tight right and left hand turn on the original entrance lobby arrangement. Additionally, more legible and prominent signage was required to the centre entrance and internal circulation routes.
The brief also required a new lift to serve three principal teaching floors and consequently make the centre compliant within current DDA access regulations.



SOLUTION
The solution was to design a lightweight all glass enclosure, in contrast to the existing dark brick facade, that allowed maximum daylight into the ground floor entrance lobby and restaurant and the two primary teaching rooms at first and second floor levels.
The vertical emphasis of the lift shaft is balanced by the introduction of an internally illuminated horizontal galvanised screen that defines the entrance route and provides clear signage to the centre.
The glazed lift shaft is decorated by utilising the basic building blocks of learning, namely the alphabet and numerals, in a combination of fritted letters on the outer face and applied vinyl film numerals on the inner face. The intention was to create a skin that appeared both ‘solid’ and ‘translucent’ depending on whether it was viewed in daylight or artificial light.
The new installation has provided a new strong visual ‘identity’ for a popular and growing resource centre where previously it had none.



Architects: Walker Bushe Architects
Client: London Borough of Newham
Main Contractor: Forest Gate Construction
Glazing Contractor: Cantifix Ltd
Lift Supplier Porn Dunwoody
Graphic design: Linnett Webb Jenkins
Glass Supplier Andrew Moor Associates
Project Value Approx £375,000
Contract IFC 98 (with named sub contractors)





Credon Centre London : Walker Bushe Architects

As a counterpoint to the vertical emphasis of the shaft an internally lit galvanised steel screen with a coloured twin wall polycarbonate lining was designed to help direct partially sighted visitors to the main entrance doors.
The completed scheme came in approximately £125,00 cheaper than an all brick scheme submitted by Newham’s own ‘in house’ surveying team.
The new all glass entrance replaces the original brick construction located at the rear of the school within a recess on the North facing elevation creating a strong visual ‘identity’ for a popular and growing resource centre.

The requirement to provide a new lift was taken as an opportunity to open up the entrance area into the reception/café and create a light and spacious volume whilst creating a strong ‘identity’ for a popular and growing resource centre.
Decorated with enamelled super-graphics on the outer face the alphabet is used in combination with small vinyl numerals on the inner face. One of the design intentions was to create a skin that appeared both solid and translucent depending on which combination of daylight and artificial light was present.
As a counterpoint to the vertical emphasis of the shaft an internally lit galvanised steel screen with a coloured twin wall polycarbonate lining was designed to help direct partially sighted visitors to the main entrance doors.
Industrial fluorescent battens internally light the lift shaft. A combination of LED floor-mounted up lighters and fluorescents provide strong light to the bridge link to each lift lobby clearly illuminating the route for partially sighted visitors.
The lift itself was chosen as it required no high level lift motor room and the installation involved minimal works to the existing Victorian building whilst also offering the client a 40% reduction in energy costs, utilising Porn Dunwoody’s ‘Variable Frequency System’.
All of the lighting is either low energy or energy efficient LED’s and the lift shaft is designed to be unheated.

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Credon Centre Plaistow - page : adrian welch / isabelle lomholt