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Miller Bourne was appointed by Baxall Construction to provide architectural services from Stage 2 Concept Design for the provision of a new community centre and nursery for Paddock Wood Town Council.
The new £3million multi-use facility includes a 40-place nursery, hall, car parking, and a 300-seat theatre/community hall.
Outside the building itself, the grounds include two new Lawn Tennis Association-compliant tennis courts, a new cricket wicket and improvements to the pavilion.
We were appointed after the council had already obtained planning approval for a design whose estimated construction cost exceeded the council’s budget.
Our brief was to look at the project with fresh eyes and find a more efficient and cost-effective design solution that provided the same facilities and did not compromise the external sports pitches.
We put forward a proposal with a compact footprint and community facilities that opened out onto the playing fields and a nursery on the opposite side that could have a secure private external play area.
The fully glazed focal entrance area and café at the front sits centrally between the two main function spaces to the north and south. With emphasis on a ‘fabric-first’ approach, the building was designed and constructed with an off-site timber frame panelised system.
This provided exceptional thermal performance, low air permeability and low embodied carbon. The off-site construction reduced the on-site construction programme and the need for deliveries to site and waste, while achieving factory-controlled build quality.
PV panels on the south-facing roof provide up to 40% of the building’s energy consumption.
