Nova Hreod Academy, Swindon

In 2006, at the brand new secondary school in Swindon now known as Nova Hreod Academy, Architen Landrell were approached to design, manufacture, and install a series of walkway canopies and a unique ETFE dome covering the central atrium of the building.

The 15m high dome is entirely crafted using the latest ETFE technology. Created on a steel framed dome support frame with silicon rubber jacketed aluminum extrusion, the ETFE film pillows were fixed one at a time to ensure maximum accuracy.

ETFE is an acronym for Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene, a plastic polymer material, a close relative of PTFE or Teflon, and is unaffected by UV radiation. Unlike glass, the material lets through ultraviolet rays necessary for plant health and is good for our vitamin D production and sun tans!

Unlike many other plastics, the film does not degrade in sunlight. The ETFE pillows on this structure are printed on their upper face with a silver honeycomb pattern that blocks a large degree of light and UV transmission through its surface.

The pillows are fed via a twin pump system that dehumidifies the supplied air and warms it to prevent condensation within the pillows; the pressure is maintained at a reasonable level.

The walkway canopies, designed to protect the students walking between buildings from the rain and sun, were crafted from PVC-coated polyester and, like the ETFE dome, are easy to maintain.