St John Rigby College
Client:
St John Rigby College
Year of Completion:
2006
Architect/Designer: AD Architects Limited Main Contractor/Customer: Eric Wright Construction Ltd
Architect/Designer: AD Architects Limited Main Contractor/Customer: Eric Wright Construction Ltd
A desire to spice up the entrance to a school in the North East of England led designers AD Architects to approach Architen Landrell. A combination of louver panels and fabric cones was created to aid solar control. The Fabric cones are purely an aesthetic addition to help accentuate the main entrance. The finished effect is a striking entrance to this school in Wigan.
The original plan was for Architen Landrell to install the louver panels to the full façade but the budget limited their use to the entrance area. Instead, Architen, cooperating with the project architects, created a entrance feature combining louvers and fabric, forming a central focal point for the building. Architen’s in-house team detailed the head rings, membrane plates, and fully designed the rear shade frames. They were also charged with the job of designing a method of connecting the louvers to the steelwork and making sure all connections were secure.
The PTFE cones themselves are identical, reducing the time required in design. The design of the head ring was also kept as simple as possible and works well, not being too fussy for the small cones. The fabrication of the louvers was subcontracted but Architen Landrell’s expert rigging team took on the challenge of installing them by abseiling down from the roof of the building.
