Ivy Lane school is a specialist secondary school providing child-centred education and support for 27 young people (aged up to 19) with complex care needs, including behaviours that challenge, learning disabilities, and autism. They required a bespoke learning environment that would be suitable for these complex needs.
Clearly, the design for such a building had to be purpose-led, that was mindful of not only physical requirements but also created a space that would promote calm and reduce anxiety.
We designed a bespoke classroom block that included an arts and crafts workshop, library, media room, and ICT suite. The sports hall is set up for rebound therapy and has an outdoor gym. We included sensory rooms in an admin block, which also houses the canteen. And a central courtyard has a sensory garden, play equipment, and a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA).
Designing for special educational needs (SEN) is one of our specialisms and because of that, we understand the impact of sound and how noisy environments can be a catalyst for behaviours that challenge. We, therefore, worked hard on the acoustics in the buildings in order to dampen sound and create conditions for a calmer space.
Accreditations: BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology, ICIOB – Incorporated Chartered Institute of Building, CIAT affiliate
Skills: Autodesk CAD, project management, specification writing, contract administration, principal designer, knowledge of building regulations, energy performance of buildings, designing for neurodiversity.
About Tony
Tony is the Big Dog of Farrar Bamforth Architecture. Starting his career here in 1999, he acquired the business and became Managing Director in 2018. Tony loves process driven buildings; creating buildings that can make a positive impact on business performance and people’s lives. Tony takes an intuitive approach to architecture and can often be found in buildings waving his hands around to indicate where rooms should go. He’s also a ‘fixer’; solving problems and dealing with the difficult issues others would rather delegate. Think ‘Mr Wolf’ in Pulp Fiction but with building regulations rather than dead bodies.
In his many years with the company, his favourite project so far has been Berendsen Laundry in Durham. A £5million build and £5million fit-out, Tony was involved from start to finish and enjoyed the perfect combination of interesting job, great client, and good team of contractors and consultants.
And finally…
Tony’s favourite toast topping is two rashers of bacon, brown sauce, and another slice of toast. That’s a sandwich Tony (there’s always one 🙄). When not standing in buildings waving his arms around, he can often be found at heavy metal or Adam Ant concerts, supporting Wakefield Trinity, playing touch rugby, or watching bad car chase movies. Though not, apparently, the Fast and the Furious (too bad).
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A feasibility study allows you to comprehensively evaluate the viability of an architectural project before committing significant investments to it. Viability is assessed from architectural, financial, and environmental perspectives. As well as the functional aspects of the build, it also includes some preliminary designs, allowing you to start visualising the outcome. The process could include a pre-application submission to the planning department for their opinion prior to a formal application. Conducting a detailed feasibility study protects you against the, often costly, ‘surprises’ that can come from not anticipating and taking steps to avoid the pitfalls that come from not being suitably prepared.
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There is a much-used phrase that applies to all design but was specifically coined for architecture: ‘form follows function’ and it’s something that we live by. Primarily, buildings and interios have to work so we listen to our clients when they tell us what the structure needs to do for them. For our commercial and industrial clients, this is often 95% of the brief. For residential projects, whether a housing development or a bespoke high-end dwelling, functionality and aesthetic appeal need to be finely balanced. We are equally skilled in both approaches and always client-led.
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Applying for and gaining the appropriate planning permission is a vital element of the architectural process; without it, you can’t proceed. Planning policy can be complex and, if not navigated correctly, can be time consuming and, sometimes, unsuccessful. We know planning. We understand the policies and the application requirements; in fact, we have a track history of securing planning permission on complex sites that initially seemed problematic.
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Building regulations are simultaneously the rules that keep us safe and the requirements that give architects and builders headaches as they strive for compliance with ever-evolving specifications. Not a problem for us though, as several members of the team live for the minutiae and details of regulations, and standards so we’re all over them. That not only means that your development complies with (and often, exceeds) building regs but that we also know the strategies for working with regulations in ways that don’t compromise creativity, function, or budgets.
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All projects that involve more than one contractor must have an appointed Principal Designer. It’s their job to advise and assist you on all aspects of health and safety on the project, starting at pre-construction phase. We can act as Principal Designer, ensuring that all parties comply with their responsibilities and that the build is safe for all working on it, all who may be affected by the works, and all who will use it once completed.
×You can see another example of an educational project by looking at our Lawefield Lane School project, where we created a new entrance and remodelled classrooms to make the whole school more accessible. If you are interested in accessibility in general, see our RISE Adaptations case study that shows some of the many locations we have helped them to include accessible Changing Places. Alternatively, you can contact Tony for more information.
