SAIL Academy
-
Location: Salisbury
-
Sector: Education
-
Division: Regional Building
The SAIL Academy (Salisbury Academy for Inspirational Learning) project included the refurbishment of an existing University Technical College in Salisbury to provide a 150 pupil all-through SEND school (Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)) for children aged 4-19.
We worked closely with the Department for Education (DfE), SAIL Academy and the design team to develop the SEN school to fit within the school’s areas.
The design of the building centres around creating a learning environment that supports the sensory needs of the pupils and considers their anxieties; wider corridors and similar classroom layouts ensure children understand their route into the classroom and minimises confusion.
All class spaces have a dedicated or shared group room, providing flexible teaching options to suit their needs.
As part of the refurbishment project, minimal but important interventions were made to the existing building and landscape to suit the new function for the site.
At a glance...
£9.4m
Project value
December 2023
Completion date
Department for Education
Client
The project included the refurbishment of:
- Classrooms
- Main hall
- Specialist rooms including:
- Science
- Art
- Food
- Life skills
- Sensory rooms on each floor near to key entrances enable children to unwind when they arrive
- Staff and administration areas
Challenges and solutions
One of the key challenges that we overcame as a design team was the fire escape strategy for the school. Having a clear and uncomplicated strategy for fire escape is key to meeting the needs of the cohort of pupils. Previous works had removed an external escape stair which was an integral part of an escape route from the building. The need to re-provide this was identified early in the design process and the challenge was to weave this as seamlessly as possible into both the plan and the external aesthetic of a building that already had three distinct architectural languages.
Added value
- £1,237,910 placed with supply chain within 30 miles of site
- All members of site team lived within 35 miles of site
- We ran two Open Doors events
Our partners
-
Project Manager: Mott McDonald
-
Structural Engineer: Jubb
-
M&E Engineer: Jones King Partnership
-
Architect: Architecture PLB
-
Cost Advisor: Mott McDonald