Chelsea Academy
This multiple award-winning building and outstanding design is commensurate with the world-class education it provides its 1000+ students. Situated on a very constrained site in Lots Road, Chelsea, the building utilises rooflights and lightwells to maximise natural light.
Department for Education and Chelsea Academy Trust
Architect
Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios
Contractor
Wates Construction
Quantity Surveyor
Davis Langdon LLP
Such a prestigious project demanded a detailed and meticulous approach, to ensure performance aspirations were both buildable and deliverable.
Early engagement in the design stages, enabled us to support the team and take full responsibility for the glazed areas of the envelope, ensuring it complemented the other buildings in the surrounding area.
A key feature of the new build was the traditional brick façade. With a lot of emphasis on this being the main feature in a number of areas, it was important that the choice of glazing systems were sympathetic and complimentary to this. Bronze anodised aluminium profiles were used for the windows, doors and curtain walling with flashings, sills, soffits and cladding in a matching colour.
Running around the ground floor elements, set-back curtain walling was installed bringing natural light to areas overshadowed by surrounding buildings, with individual modular windows used on the upper levels. To common areas of stair cores, lightwells and main entrances, further stickwork curtain walling was used to maximise daylight levels as well as at roof level to the lightboxes and rooflights.
Plant rooms, cladding and architectural metalwork were all designed and constructed using as much off-site methodology as possible due to the site constraints and to ensure the paramount quality was maintained. Due to the nature of the finishing, careful batching of the processes was also required to ensure continuity of finish across all elements.
Securing the RIBA Stirling Prize Midlist in 2011 as well as the RIBA National Award is a fitting tribute to what is a stunning academy. Incorporating a high quality façade into the design has proved successful in many ways and is a good front to the quality that lies beneath.
