Brock WINS national park building design award for new Foundation and Independence HUB

Brockenhurst College has won a New Forest National Park Building Design Award for its new Foundation and Independence HUB on the college’s main campus.

The trophy for best non-residential building was presented to Brock Principal and CEO Helen Odhams yesterday in the council chamber at Appletree Court, Lyndhurst, by New Forest National Park Authority Chair Victoria Mander.

Designed by architects Re-Format, built by Ascia Construction and project managed by Peter Marsh Consulting, who also collected trophies, the £4.9m building was completed on time and on budget.

Judges said in their citation:

‘Members considered that this scheme went above and beyond a standard modular building, where the owners considered not only the needs of the students but how it would relate within the National Park setting. A building that is accessible, fit for purpose, with materials considered sympathetic to the landscape character of the National Park.’

The new facility was officially opened in October 2023 by gold-medal-winning Team GB wheelchair rugby Paralympian Aaron Phipps and comprises two distinct wings with dedicated garden areas.

One wing is for Foundation Studies curriculum areas, while the other is equipped for learners requiring high-level, one-to-one support from healthcare practitioners and learning assistants.

In total, the new building contains 14 new classrooms, social space, staff space, meeting rooms and a student kitchen for learning to prepare meals.

There is also a physical therapy room and a hygiene room, both equipped with hoists, and a sensory room packed with colourful, pulsing, fibre-optic light sources.

In addition, the Hub has a host of green features, including a ground source heat pump system and solar panels on the roof.

After collecting the award on behalf of Brockenhurst College, Helen Odhams said: “We are delighted to receive this award for our Foundation and Independence Hub.

“The recognition reflects the college’s commitment to creating inspiring, inclusive and sustainable learning spaces for our students.

“A huge thank you to everyone who helped bring this vision to life – our students love learning in their new specialist facility.”

Independence Hubs have been rolled out across Hampshire as part of Hampshire County Council’s ‘All Our Talents’ SEND Employability Action Plan.

Brockenhurst College’s facility was the first in the county to be fully contained in an entirely new building.

Funding of £4m for the project at Brock was provided by the Department for Education’s Post-16 Capacity Fund.

This award was then match-funded by £0.9m provided by Hampshire County Council through its High Needs Capital Funding.