Wintringham Academy
Location:
Wintringham, Grimsby
Client:
Oasis Academy Trust/ DfES/ Gleeson Building
Completed - 2007
Status:
10,170 sqm/ £17.5m
Size:
Wintringham Academy was sponsored, in a joint venture, by Oasis Community Learning and the Department for Education. The Academy is 6FE with 900 students, aged 11-16, and 200 post-16 students. It’s specialism is Sports and Health, with an ‘education for life’ focus; ensuring relevance both to students wishing to achieve vocational qualifications, as well as those following a more academic route.
Reflecting the Academy’s specialism, a glazed sports hall is visible on approach from all directions. The building is also intentionally laid out so that visual connections are made with the sports and dining areas; this places Sports and Health at the heart of the scheme.
On entering the building, immediately beyond the main reception, the double height ‘agora’ provides access to all principal spaces; the design was evolved from that of the standard corridor access prescribed in many school establishments. The agora offers a central focus to the building which encourages social interaction and independent learning. It also facilitates community integration by accommodating the main hall, library, cyber-cafe and dining spaces, with spill out opportunities to the courtyard.
The outer elevations are clad in a light buff brick with recessed glazing and rendered panels. The arched courtyard is faced in poly-chromatic stainless steel to provide a ‘living colour’ animated facade which changes colour when viewed from different angles. These provide a cloister to the main piazza with curtain wall glazing to the rear. Roofs are generally brown-roof on single ply membranes to contribute to the local bio-diversity.