Design Engine Architect’s long-standing relationship with the University of Winchester continues with their recent planning approval for 2,200 m2 of high-quality, flexible teaching space at the King Alfred Campus.

Design Engine’s structure will replace an out-dated building, now inappropriate for today’s teaching methods. Completion will be in time for the 2012 academic in-take and will fulfil one of UoW’s key strategic objectives; seeking a solution to improve the amount and quality of the teaching spaces. This objective stems from a three-year programme of research at UoW on student experience on campus as well as anticipating the expectations of current and future students.

Design Engine Architect’s proposal is part of a wide reaching masterplan that has been developed by the practice with the university over the last five years. This masterplan has to date generated 4 major new buildings by Design Engine, including the extension and major refurbishment of The Stripe Lecture Theatre, the New University Centre (RIBA award winner 2007) and the recently completed Performing Arts building.

The new Learning & Teaching Building is targeted to reach BREEAM ‘excellent’ by incorporating fully daylit spaces, wind chimneys and automatically controlled ventilation louvres to the façade. The exposed precast concrete planks incorporate cast-in pipes to allow the concrete to be cooled in the peak season - enabling the rooms to be remain environmentally comfortable whilst occupied by up to 80 students throughout the teaching day.

The new facility will incorporate a flexible room layout so that different pedagogical practices can be used in the future. It sits alongside an existing 1960s building, creating an impressive new entrance atria to the facility as well as allowing campus-wide pedestrian movement from the upper main campus to the lower piazza. The atria also provides easy access to the new teaching spaces and an informal resource area on the mezzanine level. 

The main South and East elevations borrow heavily from classical proportional systems using overlapping golden rectangles to organise the brise soleil to the south and the Vesica Pisces for the oversailing roof to the East.

To reflect the University of Winchester’s faith values, Design Engine has proposed an abstract art installation to adorn the east elevation, creating an important backdrop to the new entrance piazza. The 10m by 12m structure will be constructed from a variety of overlaid materials, including a cedar cross representative of both the crucifix and King Alfred’s sword; eleven vertical stainless steel rods representing the Apostles (and 1 Corten steel rod being Judas); and seventy rough sawn oak vertical beams representing the students of the University.