Beatlie ASN School, Livingston, West Lothian
Woolgar Hunter are providing civil and structural engineering services for this project, which will deliver much needed, state of the art, specialist assisted needs education facilities for West Lothian. We are working with NORR architects within the wider design team.
Client: hub South East/West Lothian Council
Architect: Norr
Beatlie ASN School, Livingston, West Lothian
Woolgar Hunter are providing civil and structural engineering services for this project, which will deliver much needed, state of the art, specialist assisted needs education facilities for West Lothian. We are working with NORR architects within the wider design team.
During the Strategic Support Services phase, Woolgar Hunter have provided civil and structural engineering advice to inform the selection of a preferred development site; identified key engineering constraints and opportunities for the preferred site; advised on requirements for investigations & surveys; developed an engineering strategy; and met regularly with the project team and key stakeholders to develop the brief and inform the feasibility study.
A key focus during the early concept design was on adopting passive environmental design principles, including building orientation, glazing provision, form factor and building fabric; maximising insulation and airtightness, whilst minimising thermal bridging. Use of 'SMART building' technology is also being explored as a means of optimising the operational energy, whilst material selection is being integrated to ensure that we minimise embodied carbon within the development. The design team have also explored the potential use of assistive technology such as smart wheelchair guidance systems, adaptive furniture, asset tagging and 'mixed reality' to provide an immersive experience and visual stimulation.
Our Civils team has considered surface water management and SuDS from the outset, which will help make the urban landscape work harder, by creating synergies with other elements of the design, and enable us to fully exploit the site opportunities and overcome potential challenges. The design incorporates SuDS features including green roofs, rain gardens, swales, detention basins and ponds, which are integrated into the school design to maximise the benefits of surface water management There may also be opportunities to re-use rainwater, e.g. for irrigation of the allotments, which will also reduce the volume of surface water to be discharged from the site.
The Structural team have developed a full timber frame design, maximising the use of locally available timber framing solutions within the Scottish construction market, in order to provide a low embodied carbon solution that Is also cost effective, buildable and functional.
During the Strategic Support Services phase, Woolgar Hunter have provided civil and structural engineering advice to inform the selection of a preferred development site; identified key engineering constraints and opportunities for the preferred site; advised on requirements for investigations & surveys; developed an engineering strategy; and met regularly with the project team and key stakeholders to develop the brief and inform the feasibility study.
A key focus during the early concept design was on adopting passive environmental design principles, including building orientation, glazing provision, form factor and building fabric; maximising insulation and airtightness, whilst minimising thermal bridging. Use of 'SMART building' technology is also being explored as a means of optimising the operational energy, whilst material selection is being integrated to ensure that we minimise embodied carbon within the development. The design team have also explored the potential use of assistive technology such as smart wheelchair guidance systems, adaptive furniture, asset tagging and 'mixed reality' to provide an immersive experience and visual stimulation.
Our Civils team has considered surface water management and SuDS from the outset, which will help make the urban landscape work harder, by creating synergies with other elements of the design, and enable us to fully exploit the site opportunities and overcome potential challenges. The design incorporates SuDS features including green roofs, rain gardens, swales, detention basins and ponds, which are integrated into the school design to maximise the benefits of surface water management There may also be opportunities to re-use rainwater, e.g. for irrigation of the allotments, which will also reduce the volume of surface water to be discharged from the site.
The Structural team have developed a full timber frame design, maximising the use of locally available timber framing solutions within the Scottish construction market, in order to provide a low embodied carbon solution that Is also cost effective, buildable and functional.
Client: hub South East/West Lothian Council
Architect: Norr