Hertford Regional College, Broxbourne

Project: Hertford Regional College, Broxbourne
Category: Education
Products: SFS lightweight steel framing
Scale: £41million development. 9,100m2 building, using 4700m² of 150M12 SFS in-fill walling.
Architect: Bond Bryan
Contractor: Morgan Sindall
Project manager: GVA Grimley
Installer: Quad Building Services (Southern) Ltd.

Metsec’s lightweight galvanised steel framing system (SFS) infill walling has been used to construct the external envelope of a dramatic new addition to the Broxbourne campus of Hertford Regional College.

Designed by architects Bond Bryan, the striking new building stands at the front of the Broxbourne site, helping to create a new identity for the campus. It is part of a £41m overall development of Hertford Regional College across two sites, Broxbourne and Ware, which provides additional resources and opportunities for young people and adults looking to expand on their existing qualifications.

Part of the design brief was to transform the image of the Hertford Regional college buildings to create a highly visible and welcoming centre that showcased the activities within. Covering an area of 9,100m² of new build and 2,500m² of refurbished space in Broxbourne, as well as 4,500m² in Ware, the architects have met the brief with a college designed to meet 21st century needs. It features a series of ‘learning destinations’ situated along a route that links an atrium space to a landscaped external courtyard. Along this route, each curriculum area has a distinctive ‘shop front’, with extensive glazing to allow views into the room where teaching and learning activities are taking place. The Broxbourne campus also has a large double-height learning centre overlooking the atrium, as well as a series of ‘local learning centres’, which offer each faculty direct access to a range of curriculum-specific resources.

Metsec’s technical services team engineered and designed the SFS infill panels to give the most cost-effective construction solution. The team also provided the structural calculations and set out the elevations. In total some 4,700 m² of 150M12 SFS infill walling has been used to create the external envelope and parapet.

On the Broxbourne campus the new facilities will include: an airport check-in and security area plus 18 seat mock aeroplane; a training restaurant that will be open to the public, kitchens and a bakery; dance studios; a TV and recording studio; music practice areas and a 140-seat performance theatre; a fully equipped gym and fitness testing suite as well as a large Sports Hall; an MOT bay to main dealer standards that will meet future VOSA testing regulations, as well as a CAD suite and electronics workroom; two science laboratories; an IT suite; a conference suite; a major learning resource centre and social areas.

Throughout the construction of the new building, and refurbishment of three of the existing buildings, there was a need to keep the Broxbourne campus fully operational. Installed by specialist sub-contractor Quad Building Services, Metsec’s SFS infill walling helped maintain the college’s normal operations by facilitating a rapid build. The entire project was completed in two phases with minimum disruption.

Across the two campuses, the redeveloped Hertford Regional College is now able to offer some 12,000 full- and part-time students a high quality learning experience suited to present-day needs.

Take a look at Metsec’s SFS Framing Products