Norland College - Bath

Excelling in childcare training since 1892

The Project

First established by Emily ward in 1892, Norland College has become world leader in childcare training centred around the child. Having moved to various locations in the past, the College is now based in Bath. Along with its location, the curriculum at Norland has changed and progressed with the times to offer the most up to date academic childcare training courses and the highest practice standards in line with the latest research.


The Approach

Oculus was appointed in the summer of 2014 to oversee the expansion of Norland into a new location in the Oldfield Park area of Bath. The new site houses a sundry of amenities, including state of the art lecture rooms, a simulated nursery area, and purpose built on-site kitchens to name a few.  Working alongside the Nick Shipp Architects, Oculus were able to assist the team to optimise the fire safety requirements to make best use of the single staircase layout having regard to the clients aspirations for occupancy levels.


 

 

CASE STUDY
Pangbourne College

The new build Harding Communications Centre at Pangbourne College designed by Mitchell Taylor Workshop combines a music school and ICT facility together under one roof and won the Royal Institute of British Architects RIBA South Regional Award 2014. The building was designed to the BREEAM Excellent Standard and uses ‘Passivhaus’ principles with a continuous line of insulation over composite construction. 

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CASE STUDY
Island Pavilion, Wormsley Estate

As the name suggests, the Island Pavilion is located on an island within the magnificent Wormsley Estate. The jewel-like building, clad with glass and metal, sits serenely in the historic landscape.  The private dining facilities within are used during the summer opera season for Garsington Opera who have a magnificent performance pavilion on the Wormsley Estate. To the design of architects Robin Snell and Partners, the attention to detail in all aspects of design and construction makes this building a modern addition to the estate. The Pavilion is designed to fit seamlessly with the topography of the island and take maximum advantage of the panoramic views across the lake.

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CASE STUDY
Airbus - AWIC

The £40m facility will enable Airbus to perform structural tests on aircraft materials, components and large assemblies, including complete wings. The strong floor will support a 220-tonne, 10m-high steel wall where structural tests specimens will be attached to allow testing to take place.

The pour itself lasted a continuous 23-hour period, one hour under the scheduled 24. It required a lorry load of specially prepared concrete to arrive every six minutes to provide a constant supply to the pour and avoid any inconsistencies in the concrete.

A total of 1,440 cubic metres was poured into the floor, which measures 40m by 18m, to a total depth of two metres. The steel reinforcement amounted to a total of approximately 280 tonnes of rebar, estimated to be around 54 km laid end-to-end.

The AWIC facility is supported by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Innovate UK.

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