Tweedale have been working for Hillcrest School and Community College for several years now after successfully designing the Performing Arts Academy building in 2005.
Planning approval has been granted for this latest project of twelve classrooms and extended dining space that seeks to address the problem of existing accommodation at the school being below standard and insufficient for the numbers of pupils attending now and proposed for the future.
This will be the first phase of an overall school revamp as part of Dudley MBC's Schools for the Future programme.
The first part of the project is to construct two new blocks at the front of the school, either side of the existing main hall. The one will be a dining hall (as a multi-functional space) and the other a three storey classroom block. The second part of the project seeks to replace the carparking sacrificed for the dining hall proposal and provide a proper school car park which is lacking at present.
The classroom block is curved to follow the contours of the ground and dug into the embankment to express the hilltop site. A louvred screen forms the frontage, which curves around and links up in front of the dining hall to provide a modern external appearance to lift the whole school. The louvres act as a shading device to control the solar gain that gets unbearable in the existing school buildings during summer. Natural ventilation is proposed to cool the building using a stack effect through circulation spaces and other environmentally energy efficient measures are being explored so that the school will be at the cutting edge.
The dining hall is an extension to the main building attached to the existing kitchen. A double height space will be created for multiple use, with a mezzanine level for viewing at one end. The aim is to provide a space that the school can use for so much more than just at lunchtime.
The other part of the project is to turn the derelict Hurley's Fold area to the east of the school on Hill Street into a proper car park. This will serve school staff during the day and community use in the evening for the sports centre. This will resolve issues for local residents enduring inconsiderate on-road parking during the day and reduce the potential for anti-social behaviour taking place on Hurleys Fold due to it's current condition.
