Ridge appointed QS for new centre at Berkshire College of Agriculture

Property and construction consultancy Ridge has completed work on a new £1.9m learning resource centre at Berkshire College of Agriculture. The college, which will open 6 October aims to demonstrate remarkable sustainability and 'green' credentials.

Ridge provided all QS services and the scheme was completed within budget.

The project was funded by the Learning Skills Council, and linked to an enabling contract, which necessitated demolition and site clearance of the existing buildings and removal of contaminated waste.

During this stage, considerations had to be given to the historical and landscape issues of the site and to the college's ongoing educational activities with student and livestock occupation.

With three different structural design solutions for separate areas of the building, the emphasis was on increasing the mass of the building to regulate heat differentials and provide natural ventilation, automatically controlled through passivents in the windows and roof.

The roof is profiled metal and the external walls are brickwork, with feature flint walls to match the external appearance of the original historical building.

The centre is now the focal point of the campus and gives the college a new and imposing entrance.

Accommodation includes two floors of library, a computer centre, a 69-seat lecture theatre, administration offices, a new reception and student services area.