Architects And Quantity Surveyors
Taunton Junior School Middle School Building
The amalgamation on one site of Taunton Junior School Boys with their counterparts Weirfield Girls School to form Taunton Preparatory School proved to be a considerable design challenge not just because the school had to remain in use but because all the new facilities were linked to a diverse range of existing buildings.
The buildings here illustrated show the main entrance to the Weirfield building, a teaching facility with Library. The entrance itself is covered by a glazed canopy giving shelter to an external staircase serving the first floor classrooms. The two buildings allow access between them from one courtyard area to the playground beyond. The size, shape and disposition of the external spaces was seen as important as the arrangement of buildings and the resultant spaces continued the scale and feeling of the existing campus.
The Science, Art, Technology Building (top left) houses four science laboratories, a prep room, art department, design room and technology room. Full disabled access is provided by a lift. Both buildings are steel framed and are insulated in excess of regulation requirement and are predicted to be very energy efficient. Heating for the buildings is provided in individual plant rooms with modular gas boilers serving a traditional wet system of radiators.
The building compilations were phased to allow the school to vacate portions of the existing buildings that were due for demolition. The Weirfield building was in fact completed three months ahead of schedule.
