A new technical college on Olympic Way transforms a 14,000m² site into state-of-the-art teaching spaces, workshops, communal areas, and a landscaped roof terrace for United Colleges Group.

BREEAM Outstanding  – Anticipated

This new technical college in the London Borough of Brent will provide 14,000m² of teaching space, engineering and construction workshops, communal gathering spaces and a landscaped roof terrace for a technical college for United Colleges Group (a merger of College of North West London and City of Westminster College).

Eckersley O’Callaghan won the project through a design competition with WilkinsonEyre Architects on the basis of our highly efficient, pared-back design that maximised useful space within the allotted cost budget.

The structure uses precast hollow core planks on a slim floor steel frame which cantilevers 5m at the upper floors on the northern boundary by way of a welded Vierendeel truss, eliminating the need for intrusive cross bracing.

As the building replaces an existing office on the site, foundations are to be reused, greatly reducing the embodied carbon of the substructure.

The facade is composed of stick system and SFS-framed backing walls with glass rain screen cladding which provided a highly glazed appearance without compromising thermal performance. The windows adopt a composite timber-aluminium system for a lower embodied carbon.

A horizontal projection at each floor supports external fritted glazing which provides solar control, minimising cooling demand. Lower levels of the building are clad in terracotta, while a large skylight down the spine of the building lets light penetrate the floors and facilitates natural ventilation.

 

Location
London, UK

Client
United Colleges Group

Architect
WilkinsonEyre