Thomas Telford School Gatehouse
Baart Harries Newall
Thomas Telford School is located off Caledonian Way to the west of Telford Shopping Centre and was established in 1991, it has 1,439 pupils and is regarded as one of the top performing comprehensive schools in England. The gatehouse is part of wider phase development of work on the school site. Security was a concern for the client and the ‘Gatehouse’ (Security Post) was required by the school to control the entry and exit of all vehicles and pedestrians from the school site. Due to its proposed location on site and an internal area of 29m2, the building was regarded as permitted development and was exempt from Building Regulations due to the building size (with exception of drainage). However the building has a masonry cavity wall construction fully filled with 150mm rockwool providing a Uvalue of 0.23W/(m2K) which is a 35% betterment over current regulations and the roof was a 40% betterment over current regulations. The gate house is positioned near the main entrance to the school to survey the existing one-way system already implemented at the school. The building is a simple form in red facing brickwork with a large horizontal slot of glazing. A steel frame was erected to allow for the large undisturbed continuous slot for surveillance. The external walls were rounded at the edges to soften the visual appearance of the building. The building is a simple form but a functional building that reflects the material palette of the existing School.
To facilitate the large horizontal slot in the masonry construction in a way which was economical, the simple and cost effective solution was to have a galvanised steel plate welded to the underside of a curved galvanised structural beam fixed back to internal circular columns. The plate was left exposed as an honest expression of the construction. The exposed galvanised lintel on the project was galvanised for corrosion resistance, low maintenance and longevity, all of which met the clients brief for a sustainable building.
Photographs © Bart Harries Newall