The amalgamation on one site of Taunton Junior School Boys with their
counterparts Weirfield Girls School to form Taunton Preparatory School
proved to be a considerable design challenge not just because the school
had to remain in use but because all the new facilities were linked to a
diverse range of existing buildings.
The buildings here illustrated show the main entrance to the Weirfield
building, a teaching facility with Library. The entrance itself is covered by a
glazed canopy giving shelter to an external staircase serving the first floor
classrooms. The two buildings allow access between them from one
courtyard area to the playground beyond. The size, shape and disposition of
the external spaces was seen as important as the arrangement of buildings
and the resultant spaces continued the scale and feeling of the existing
campus.
The Science, Art, Technology Building (top left) houses four science
laboratories, a prep room, art department, design room and technology room.
Full disabled access is provided by a lift. Both buildings are steel framed
and are insulated in excess of regulation requirement and are predicted to
be very energy efficient. Heating for the buildings is provided in individual
plant rooms with modular gas boilers serving a traditional wet system of
radiators.
The building compilations were phased to allow the school to vacate portions
of the existing buildings that were due for demolition. The Weirfield building
was in fact completed three months ahead of schedule. |