PROJECT DESCRIPTION: STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS:

FOUNDATIONS:
Intended to house 1,400 pupils by 2002, and replacing two existing schools, Immanuel
is a large institution with, inevitably, a strong impact on its surroundings, though this 1200x350mm reinforced concrete strip foundation, to a depth of 550mm below frost
was ameliorated, to some extent, by the contours of the site. The nature of a line of existing grond level. concrete strenht clas 30N/m.
secondary school, with laboratory, IT and other specialised facilities, is at odds with
the more folksy image of the school, evoked, for example, by some of the celebrated
Hampshire primary schools or by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris's Great Notley school RISING WALLS:
(AJ 4.11.99). external leaf: 215mm blockwork rising wall to external ground level. at ground level
The client saw the development of a strong sixth form as a prime objective and wanted junction 2 courses of 150mm sopabar cement blocks are constructed to form the
this to be expressed in the project, with the provision of a clearly-defined centre for fixing point for the natural stone plinth.
senior pupils. Finally, the use of part of the premises by the local community outside
school hours, was seen as inevitable and, indeed, desirable and had to be provided
internal walls: 150mm blockwork rising wall through height of building.
for in the designs.
Immanuel is described as a college, and the layout of the buildings has a collegiate
feel, with buildings around a central quadrangle, containing a hard-surface play- cavity: cavity at rising wall is 100mm.

as yet. Inevitably, perhaps, the route into
the building lies across a car park, thence into a generously scaled entrance hall. The
first of a series of lifts is provided here for use by the disabled the school is 100 per
cent accessible.
The sixth-form domain, symbolised by the projecting circular common-room block, is to
one side, together with staff room, library and IT suites. The main school block is
accessed via a glazed bridge spanning the central court. It leads to 'the street', the
social and operational heart of the school, defining the main level of the complex and
some 56m in length. Classroom and laboratory blocks and the canteen (which forms
the fourth side of the quadrangle) open off this spine. The fall of the land allows for two
levels of classrooms below.
Internally, Immanuel has a lightness and transparency far removed from the
conventional school environment. This is not just a matter of raising spirits, but equally,
it seems, of ensuring proper supervision Immanuel has its share of 'difficult' pupils.
Since the school opened its doors last autumn, the damage caused to plaster wall
surfaces in some common areas, for example, has led to the imposition of a Portaflek
coating which is less attractive but far more durable. In the central 'street', concrete
blockwork, tinted the hue of red Cheshire sandstone, provides a highly practical
alternative. The general impression, indeed, is of a building designed for heavy wear
and intensive use.
Exposed steel roof elements, the use of strong colours (blue in the science labs, for
example) and the successful management of natural light, produce spaces which are
enjoyable and workmanlike, while lacking obvious frills the canteen is a particularly
dynamic interior. In contrast, the chapel (or 'sanctuary'), located off the main assembly
hall, is a rather bleak place, with nothing numinous about it though it was a
significant element in the client brief.
Project director Mark Pettit concedes compromises in detailing. The timber fire-doors
which subdivide 'the street' are far more intrusive than the architect's preferred
metal-framed versions would have been but the latter fell victim to budget
constraints. Skirting details too have a clumsy and ill-considered appearance. No
architect with experience of schools expects much respect for his work, but the
decision to entirely strip Halliday Clark's library at Immanuel of its fittings, within a year
of installation, seems perverse.
The above is and extract from A.J magazine, dated 27.09.2001
author: Powell, Kenneth.
WALL CONSTRUCTION:
32mm western red cedar cladding boards, pre treated and pressure impregnated to
be fixed with stainless steel fixings.fixed onto 50x50mm treated softwood timber
battens at 800mm centers. top of battens is splayed to prevent poolin of water on
battens. breather membrane is fixed to timber frame below battens, and is sealed at
all penetrations with sealent tape, on 100X44mm treated softwood timber frame
studs at 400mm centers, timber frame to be fixed back to bloackwork using cross
nailing techniquie with hilti gun using stainless steel fixings. a high density insulation
is used to fill between timber studs. internal leaf comprimises of 150mm blockwork
with10mm mortar joints. internal finishes are 12mm plaster board with a 3mm
painted plaster skim finish.
FLOOR CONSTRUCTION:
floor finish is 3mm vinyl, colour to clients specifications, to be fully adhered to 65mm
concrete screed, onto seperation layer between screed and insulation. 150mm
insulation required, to be placed onto radon barrier. 150mm reinforced concrete
slab, with a concrete strenght class of 25N/m, on layers of 200mm well compacted
small aggregate hardcore.
FIRST FLOOR CONSTRUCTION:
floor finish is 3mm vinyl fully adhered to top of composite deck, 300mm of
reinforced concrete, poured into temporary proped slimline deep steel deck, profile
thickness of 1.4mm. edge stops to be welded on all sides, and shear bolts are used
of steel beams. where the edge stop finishes, a fire stopping insulation must be
incorporated to prevent spread of fire between floors. all composite decks
supported from steel U.B to engineer specified sizes.
ROOF CONSTRUCTION:
Trocal fully adheared single ply membrane, to be lapped and sealed min 150mm at
all upstands and penetrations, on 18mm marine ply deck, on 175x75mm treated
softwood rafters, which are fixed to U.B using welded metal cleats, tolerances of
10mm allowable for horizontal and vertical discripencies. 15mm cement board is
fixed to underside of s.w roof rafters, to which a 3mm plaster skim coat is applied,
final internal roof finish.
FLASHINGS:
all flashing are proprietary polyester powder coated aluminium flashings, fixed to
s.w timber battens using stainless steel fixings. all flashings have a nosing drip
protruding a min.. of 25mm away from finished facades.

STRUCTURAL STEELWORK:
all internal structural steelwork to be painted with intusment paint, all baseplate and
external fixings to be stainless stel M24 full threaded bolts with lock nuts.

EXTERNAL DRAINAGE:
A diameter 100mm perforated drain is buried within a trench 250mm wide of small
pea gravel around the perimeter of the building, and is 80mm below ground level.

VENTILATION:
A 30mm ventilation cavity is achieved throughout the height of the facade, allowing
for ingrees and egress of air at window opes. insect mesh is fixed at all ventilation
openings.

STRUCTURE:
Immanuel College has been constructed as a number of structurally independent
blocks interconnected with walkways. The timber bridge in the centre of the teaching
blocks has a 16m span and comprises 'Ekki' hardwood lattice trusses, supported on
steel columns at one end, and a reinforced concrete retaining wall at the other. To the
underside of the bridge is a curved concrete ground-bearing amphitheatre for summer
assemblies or lessons.
The school comprises several classroom blocks, an assembly hall, sports hall, canteen
and administration block. Many of the classrooms have exposed galvanised trusses
and hot-rolled purlins upon which a sound-absorbent roof deck by Plannja is laid. Most
non-teaching blocks have curved roofs supported by steel trusses.
British Steel 'Slimfloor' construction was used for structural floors to minimise
floor-to-floor heights reducing height (for planning purposes) and costs. Composite
floor construction also enabled the use of larger spans for smaller beams, to create the
larger open spaces.
Cladding materials include natural stone, cedar boarding, painted render, glazed
curtain-walling and composite cladding panels.
As the school is on a sloping site, a 'terracing' approach was adopted, creating various
levels that could then be supported with reinforced-concrete retaining walls. Natural
features, such as site levels and tree positions, were retained as far as possible.
Foundations were generally pad and strip footings on natural boulder clay.

Name:
Student no.
Kevin O'Brien
20028940
Title: Building Case Study
Course: AT3 Building: Immanuel College, Secondary School
Module: Construction Technology
Date: 01.12.2009 Location: Thackley, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.
Lecturer: Loy Lee Architects: Halliday Clark
 proprietary polyester powder coatd trocal single-ply membrane
aluminium capping detail. roof covering fully adhered to
ply deck below.

50mm isocyanurate foam insulation

board, fixed to ply deck.

proprietary galv. top hat section,

CLASSROOM
vapour control layer
fixed to top of blockwork throuh h.d
insulation.
18mm W.S.P ply deck on s.w firrings

175x75mm treated s.w rafters

15mm cement board fixed to

underside of rafters. internal finish:
skim plaster & paint.

152x89mm U.B

column, painted with intumesent

paint and fixed to found as detailed. CLASSROOM

150mm blockwork, with 12mm

plasterboard & 3mm skim plaster
internal finish.

gal. 178x102mm U.B

welded to internal C.H.S
column

polyester powder coated aluminium

double glazed, low -e, window.
25mm m.d.f internal cill with
bullnose. polyester powder coated
aluminium cill and head flashing to
external. Window jambs to be
aligned with cedar cladding panels.

40mm fire stopping

300mm composite steel deck,
temp. proped durin construction to
achieve span of 12m unsupported.
deck composed of lightweight
reinforced concrete 25N/m.

armstrong suspended ceiling, with

600x600mm composite ceiling
panels on a modular grid of 600mm
c/c for supporting framework.

256x256mm U.B

floor construction:
3mm vinyl flooring on
65mm concrete screed on
seperation layer on
150mm h.d insulation on
radon barrier, on
150mm concrete slab on
layers of 200mm well compacted h.c

100mm h.d insulation

44x100mm treated s.w timber
fixed with mushroom fixings
stud frame fixed to blockwork
to blockwork.
@ 600mm c/c.

25x150mm rough sawn

vertical cedar cladding boards
fixed with stainless steel fixings.

50x50mm treated horizontal

timber battens fixed to
vertical
trocal single-ply membrane
timber frame at 800mm c/c.
roof covering fully adhered to
32mm stone plint, fixed to ply deck below.
150mm soapbar blockwork
using hilti masonry fixing
adhesieve. breather membrane

18mm W.B.P ply deck on s.w

firrings, on 175x75mm treated gal. 178x102mm U.B
s.w rafters. welded to internal C.H.S
column

steel baseplate for C.H.S

bolted with M24 bolts polyester powder coated
to concrete slab aluminium flashng fixed
to flange of U.B. gal. 178x102mm U.B

1200x350mm reinforced concrete

strip foundation, concrete to a
External Pathways: strenght class min. of 30N/m birch-faced ply panels,
600x600mm stone paving slabs, butt-jointed with staggered
on 50mm sand blinding, on joints.
100mm reinforced concrete slab, on
50mm sand blinding, on 215mm blockwork rising wall to
layers of 200mm H.C plinth detail.
gal. 178x102mm U.B
column, fixed to concrete
cap. found as detailed.

column, fixed to concrete

found as detailed.

Name:
Student no.
Kevin O'Brien
20028940
Title: Building Case Study
Course: AT3 Building: Immanuel College, Secondary School
Module: Construction Technology
Date: 01.12.2009 Location: Thackley, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.
Lecturer: Loy Lee Architects: Halliday Clark