The Dyson Building at Gresham’s School, Norfolk is a new educational centre for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM). This major addition was built as the result of a £19m donation from former pupil, Sir James Dyson, who has said that the school had played a vital role in supporting him as a child in the face of the death of a parent.
Dyson wanted to build a centre for ideas to cross-pollenate and for pupils to thrive, becoming innovative engineers of the future, a brief which was successfully fulfilled by the architects for the project, Wilkinson Eyre, past winners of the Stirling Prize and RIBA Lubetkin Prize.
The new building stands opposite the school’s chapel and near to the Britten Music School. The music school is an impressive performance, teaching and rehearsal space and was acoustically designed by the acoustic specialist, Adrian James Acoustics, or AJA. Consequently, the company was very familiar with the site where the Dyson Building would be built.
Adrian James, who has been assisting the Department for Education in laying out new standards for the schools of the future, said: “Acoustic design is a much misunderstood and sometimes overlooked area. It not only deals with very specific internal design features in buildings but there is synchronicity with architects, builders, planners and environmental agencies. For years, good acoustic design has been recognised by the World Health Organisation as playing a key role in both mental and physical health. Studies such as the 2012 Essex Study into School Acoustics have shown that acoustic improvements in schools can make the difference between success and failure for many children.”
Spread across a floor area of 3,900sqm, the building features a light steel frame and exposed finishes, along with a thermally efficient glazing system. There are other ecologically sounds characteristics too, such green walls and a sedum roof. The main contractor was Kier Eastern and the project managers were Daniel Connal Partnership.
