Oaklands College

Ruukki are delighted to have cemented their position as one of the education sector’s manufacturers and suppliers of choice, and proudly support the nationwide initiative to see underperforming school facilities rebuilt. The Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) has been set the challenge to rebuild or refurbish the 260 schools that have been assessed and subsequently considered to be in the worst condition. The scheme has championed the use of sustainable, energy saving, and high-performance materials, and Ruukki’s leading range of facade panel systems have proven to deliver unrivalled airtightness, fire performance, and durability.  

New, innovative education facilities have been completed by Ruukki, this includes the new Oaklands College site in St Albans. As a brand-new build, and the first stage of a large project at the Smallford Campus of Oaklands College, the client required a stylish, architecturally-impressive finish to ensure the building envelope was modern in appearance. To achieve this, Ruukki Design Profile S10 Venice was used as overcladding on Ruukki composite PIR panels.

Working closely with AHMM Architects, with whom Ruukki have previously completed RIBA award-winning work, all project stakeholders were able to recognise the functional and aesthetic advantages of selecting Ruukki panels. Alongside ISG (the main contractor) and Rhino Exteriors Ltd (the installer), AHMM identified the benefits of Ruukki’s Panels, which combine excellent fire performance with a low thermal conductivity ratio. These properties are essential, particularly for schools and colleges where the reduced heating costs are extremely beneficial and optimal fire safety is paramount.

Ruukki supplied the composite panels and design profile cladding to form the envelope of this new build.

The two-storey, atrium-centered facility is home to nearly 6,000 square metres of teaching space for general teaching, with a focus on art, design and fashion, and entry level programmes for learners with learning difficulties. The college used 100m-thick SP2B PIR panels on the sports hall and college building, overclad with Design S10 Venice Profile in a PVDF RR33 Black finish. The result is a sleek, polished and modern finish that looks stylish whilst remaining in-keeping with the professional focus of the college.

The Oaklands College project marks the latest in an ongoing series of education builds that Ruukki are proud to be part of. Other work includes the Harris Academy, where a new design was required that not only met high-standards of energy efficiency but would sit harmoniously alongside the main school building: a listed building, dating from the 1920s. Ruukki’s flat panels were unusually supplied in short sheet lengths to meet the project’s complex specification requirements. Further projects include the three-facility Stratford Schools project, where Ruukki SP2D Flat Panels were supplied in a silver finish, and the Denham Schools project, which featured Ruukki Flat Panels and used the Micro Rib Silver systems.

With the allocation of an additional further £2 billion to allow the PSBP to continue until 2021, Ruukki is delighted to maintain their support to the education sector to provide school buildings that are safe, modern, and fit-for-purpose, giving all UK children the greatest opportunities to succeed.

Photos: Rob Parish AHMM