Curtins have been appointed on this £30 million project to design a major new campus building, with separate Nursery and Basic Skills Centre for 14 to 16 year olds.

Curtins were appointed to take the project from Stage C to completion and have undertaken a comprehensive review of the structural proposals resulting in redesigning the initial steel proposal with an insitu concrete flat slab arrangement. The key to the main building is energy efficiency particularly in relation to cooling in summer and the use of thermal mass of the structure is a key element of this strategy. With a 600mm zone for the access floor the use of downstands, as is required for a steel framed solution, would have a dramatic effect on the height of the building. The main campus building also features a very large atrium space with a 36m span for the roof structure and some impressive 12m long cantilevers for the bris solie.
The site is located is a flat valley floor which is within a flooding zone. Flood risk will be a key issue with building height and surface water disposal being the important factors. The site is intrinsically linked to the adjoining Loughborough University complex and were at one time one educational establishment until the provision of College education was taken away from local authorities and part of the site leased to the University.

This will provide some interesting challenges as we progress through the project to keep the University facilities fully operational.