The sixth form college at Featherstone High School increases the teaching capacity by an additional 400 students. The facility is arranged over three floors and consists of ICT, teaching, library, hall and an atrium space enclosed under a translucent ETFE roof.
The environmental control of the building uses a ground coupled heat pump providing heating to the underfloor heating circuits and absorbs heat from the cooling systems. The classrooms have passive louvres incorporated into the façades to provide fresh air and prevent overheating.
A central mechanical ventilation system with energy recovery provides tempered air during winter. The lighting systems incorporate presence detection and daylight dimming to save energy costs. The atrium space is supplied with tempered air distribution through a concrete pipe beneath the building that passively heats or cools the air reducing running costs and, more importantly, carbon emissions for the building.
