TECHNICAL FOCUS Image courtesy of cube_design
NEW SCHÖCK THERMALLYINSULATING WALL CONNECTION IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN Minimising linear thermal bridges at the wall connection to the floor, or floor slab, has been a perennial problem with reinforced concrete construction. However, a dedicated new solution – the Sconnex type W – has now been introduced by Schöck. It is a product that offers outstanding insulation performance, combined with an exceptional loadbearing capacity.
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current high-profile project involving the new Schöck thermally-insulating wall connection is Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School, at Elstree in Hertfordshire. The school was founded in 1690 by a Royal Charter granted to the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers and over the years has been located at various sites around London. In the late 1950s, Aldenham House and 61 acres of land were purchased
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from the BBC to develop the current Elstree school location, which was opened in 1961 by the Lord Mayor of London. Haberdashers’ Aske’s is recognised as being one of the leading independent boys’ schools in the country and sets exemplary standards, not just in educational terms, but in its facilities as well. As demonstrated by the new extension to the preparatory school.
Image courtesy of cube_design
A two-storey contemporary extension This is a standalone building within the campus and Hampshire-based architecture firm cube_design was commissioned to produce a concept design for three additional classrooms, along with the relocation of changing facilities and minor alterations to the administration, staff and visitor entrance. Jane Lock-
Smith, the Founder of cube_ design and a member of the CABE Design Review Panel and RIBA Client Design Advisor within the Building Schools for the Future programme, takes up the story: “The design is respectful to the style of the existing building, but offers a contemporary twist through the use of full-height glazing and charred timber cladding. The use of a colonnade minimises the building’s
