4th October 2011

An Atkins’ designed sixth form college is inspiring youngsters to continue their education in one of the country’s most economically-challenged areas.

Lowestoft Sixth Form College, the only new sixth form college to be built in Britain this year, hopes to play a key role in attracting young people in the area to enter education or training. Since opening in September, this vibrant new educational facility, which has replaced the sixth form provision at Lowestoft’s three state high schools, has welcomed over 550 students who are now taking A-Levels and BTECs.

Commenting on the design of the £25m college, Richard Christmas, lead architect from Atkins said: “As a design team, our main concern was to provide the local community with an education facility that students enjoy being in – which could positively impact attainment levels. The open design of the building allows flexibility and creates spaces which encourage and enthuse learners”.

The interior is designed to be welcoming, collaborative and inspiring. The central atrium provides clear access to teaching and performance spaces, socialising areas and the Learning and Resource Centre. Café areas spill out into the base of the atrium, creating an exciting and dynamic environment. This open atrium design also allows passive, consistent supervision which will contribute to a sense of safety.
Yolanda Botham College Principle said of the design: “Our mission statement is about enabling our students to excel and progress in an outstanding learning environment at the heart of Lowestoft - and we really have that here.

“There is a lot of space in this building for individual study; we wanted it to be very open and transparent, with no hidden corners.

“It is a stunning building, of which we are all really proud.”

The new Lowestoft College campus was built by leading UK construction, infrastructure and design company Morgan Sindall.

Gavin Napper, area director for Morgan Sindall, said: “The new sixth form college campus is a valuable addition to the education infrastructure in Suffolk. We hope it will inspire and motivate the pupils to further their education or immerse themselves in vocational training. We’re proud to have been involved with this project and to have worked alongside Atkins in building a college which will make a significant contribution to the local economy and the prospects of young people in the area.”

With the college offering over 40 courses, the four storey college building includes specialist drama and dance facilities, performance area, a contemporary theatre and a music recording studio. The layout enables the opportunity for breakout zones to be periodically ‘owned’ by adjacent curriculums which expands the specialist teaching accommodation whilst providing the flexibility to serve more than one occupant.

Atkins’ design also addresses the journey to achieving zero carbon Further Education facilities. The College  will target 67% less energy consumption and 62% less carbon emissions annually compared to recently built FE Colleges**. The technically driven solution maximises passive low carbon design features, minimising the need for more costly renewable technologies.

Lowestoft Sixth Form College has been designed for 950 16-18 year old learners with the ability to engage 14-16 year olds, as well as adult learners. The school opened on time on the 1 September 2011 and came in on budget at £23 million.

In the education sector, Atkins provides a range of services to local authorities, schools, colleges and learning and skills councils.

Whether working on a new development or helping a school make the most of existing space, Atkins relishes the challenge of creating learning environments which meet the needs of all stakeholders.

Follow Atkins’ news on Twitter

Atkins (www.atkinsglobal.com) is one of the world's leading engineering and design consultancies*, employing some 17,700 people across the UK, North America, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Europe. It has the breadth and depth of expertise to plan, design and enable some of the world's most technically challenging and time critical infrastructure projects.

*It is the largest engineering consultancy in the UK (New Civil Engineer Consultants File 2011) and the 13th largest global design firm (Engineering News-Record 2011).

Recent projects include:

• Major infrastructure works, such as the design and programme management of the civil works for the Dubai Metro red and green lines in the UAE;
• Key rail projects – providing architectural and engineering design services on Crossrail, Europe’s biggest civil engineering project in London, UK, and designing stations, tunnelling and track systems for Gautrain, South Africa’s first high speed line;
• Renewable energy schemes - transformer platform design for the Thanet offshore wind park in the UK’s North Sea;

• Multi-year architecture-engineering construction management services for the US National Park Service, including projects such as rehabilitation of the Furnace Creek Visitor Center and Administrative Complex at California’s Death Valley to meet the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification standards;

• High profile transport planning and urban design – our innovative scheme to deliver a diagonal crossing at Oxford Circus in London, UK, has helped tackle the problem of pedestrian crowding;

• Water and environmental projects – critical programme management of storm protection works in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Southern Louisiana in North America, providing expertise in coastal restoration, engineering, environmental and GIS support to rebuild defenses and protect habitats;

• Multidisciplinary building design – Northwood Primary School in Darlington, UK, is an exemplar project which raises standards for environmental design and community engagement.

Atkins was named among The Sunday Times 25 Best Big Companies to Work For 2011, won Consultancy of the Year in the CIBSE Low Carbon Performance Awards 2010, received the first ever certification of the Carbon Trust Standard awarded to an engineering consultancy in the construction sector, and was included in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women 2011 and The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers 2010. Atkins was also construction and civil engineering sector winner for the fifth consecutive year in the Target National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2010 and was awarded a RoSPA Gold Award 2011 for excellence in control of health and safety in the workplace.