17 Nov 2008
Newcastle College reveals bold plans for new sixth form college
Newcastle College has revealed plans for a striking new sixth form college as part of the college's £250 million investment in campus facilities. Designed by RMJM, the 13,000m2 building challenges the traditional notion of a sixth form college with state-of-the-art facilities for over 2,000 students.
The sixth form academy will sit alongside the college's multi award-winning Performance Academy and the landmark Lifestyle Academy and is RMJM's fifth building for Newcastle College since 2002. As with previous projects for the college, the design will challenge convention and continue to build on the college's distinctive integrated identity formed around a series of schools, which each have their own unique identities.
The project is the first collaboration between RMJM's UK and US offices, using global design trends to impact the design and reinforce the curriculum. The design team and the college travelled to the United States to visit and benchmark the aspirations for the sixth form college against the latest in educational developments in the US.
RMJM architect and director Adrian Boot said:
"Our international approach to design has allowed the team to utilise the strongest current design strategies to produce a leading model for education. Our proposals for Newcastle's sixth form college represent a clear and bold statement that places value on the students and creates an environment that stimulates, encourages and promotes a spirit of ownership. The design occupies an urban site on the edge of the campus offering the opportunity for connections; creating a new external realm and a bold visual statement celebrating the importance of a diverse new home for the 6th form students."
The proposal assembles a range of cellular spaces including classrooms, staffrooms and teaching laboratories, into an 'S' shape. At the top of the 'S' sits a café and double height creative art zone and at the bottom, responding to the new entrance plaza at the heart of the scheme is the HIVE. The HIVE is a vertical social and experimental learning hub providing flexible informal spaces for students to engage with the learning process outside of the classroom. From intimate internet cafes to international classrooms; students and teachers will be able to collaborate from various locations in the building and around the world thanks to the latest teaching technologies.
The building's massing reinforces the diagram of both general and specialist spaces and external windows shape the façade with each classroom benefiting from a "picture window", which establishes variety within the teaching spaces. The building envelope is made from fibre cement panels with subtle variations in colour and texture. A four storey black glass wall responds to the HIVE and a metallic gold clad "attic roof" wraps the creative art zone. Expanded exterior public space and ecological applications such as sedum roofing make the new sixth form college a responsible addition to the campus fabric.
A full planning application was submitted on 9 October 2008 with construction work due to start in February of 2009 and the college scheduled to open in September 2010.
Newcastle College Sixth Form College information from RMJM Architects 171108
Newcastle College Sixth Form Academy
Newcastle College
Newcastle College Sandyford Building
World Architecture : e-architect - a guide to key buildings across the globe
Newcastle Architecture
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Newcastle Sixth Form College Building : page - adrian welch / isabelle lomholt
Website: www.ncl-coll.ac.uk