- Schools + FE
- Schools + FE
— CLIENT
Falkirk Council
Hadden Construction
— SECTOR
Schools + FE
— SERVICES
Architecture
Landscape Design
— VALUE
£3m
Designing a new early years centre is a challenging – but exciting – project. As children’s first formal experience of education, the Glenburn Early Years Centre needed to inspire a lifelong love of learning, and to give young children a nurturing, safe environment to explore and discover together.
The site itself presented us with a number of very specific challenges. We would need to design the new building on relatively uneven land, close to a main road and an existing school. The centre also needed to be a shining example of sustainable design.
We began with a wide process of consultation, gathering thoughts, ideas, and concerns from the client and wider community. This framed our designs from the outset, making sure that the new centre works for everyone.
Children at the Glenburn Early Years Centre can play and learn with a surprising degree of freedom, thanks to smart storage, clever use of space, and plenty of prompts for investigative play. We paid close attention to the relationship between the outdoor and indoor areas, creating a large external play space overlooked by the staff room.
The centre sets a high benchmark for sustainability. We used timber extensively, not only reducing the building’s carbon footprint, but allowing the contractor to order the frame in advance for a faster construction timetable.
The result is a building that suits the needs of the community, the client, and – most importantly – the children who learn in it.
“From a series of engagement meetings, ADP was very proactive in articulating Education Services’ feedback into a design concept that we were able to cost and develop further… A great team effort.”
– STEVEN BRADY, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT HADDEN CONSTRUCTION
