One of Wales’ largest schools features glazing systems by Kawneer.
Architectural aluminium systems from Kawneer were specified for a record-breaking school in Wales for their “reliability”.
Kawneer’s AA®100 capped curtain walling and low/medium-duty swing and series 190 heavy-duty commercial entrance doors were specified by frequent Kawneer users architects Scott Brownrigg throughout the Gateway to the Valleys (Coleg Cymunedol y Dderwen) secondary school in Bridgend. These are complemented by AA®541 top-hung BRE Green Guide A+-rated and Secured by Design casement windows.
The new secondary school and community campus represents one of the largest single investments in a shared community and education building in Wales. The new community campus, on an existing 39-acre site, incorporates a 1,570-place comprehensive school for pupils aged 11 to 18 and a 604m2 dedicated community facility which includes a café, a multi-agency hub and child care unit.
The school is conceived as a series of “colleges” grouped around a community heart space rotunda, the geometries derived from existing axes and from specific references to elements found within the existing context.
The scheme won the BREEAM Education Award 2013 and is the first BREEAM Outstanding high school of its type in the UK. It was designed and delivered through BIM, which brought clear benefits to the client, design and construction team alike.