Confetti Digital Media Hub

The Aim

Confetti’s ambitious plans for expansion to create significantly more teaching and technical space were realised when they became part of Nottingham Trent University. AJA were approached to design a new-build facility to meet their growing demand, in the form of a new digital media hub with requirements to:

• Accommodate the planned growth of 700 students from 2016-2020.
• Improve student experience especially concerning catering facilities, social spaces and student resources.
• Create a secure, welcoming entrance to the Confetti campus
• Provide wheelchair friendly access into adjacent existing Victorian buildings
• Create a flagship, landmark building increasing Confetti’s visibility

Design Solution

Our design aims were to give the campus legibility in the city and compliment the attractive Victorian industrial buildings that formed the main existing campus buildings.

The dynamic first-floor cantilever floats over the glazed entrance reception and provides a visual presence in the street scene.

The industrial references are achieved externally through the use of CorTen steel, which compliments the Victorian brickwork. Digital elements were introduced into perforated steel screens and projecting brickwork; and bar-code rhythms in the form of cladding set-out, vertical glazing fins and balustrades.

Internally the industrial, grown-up aesthetic with its combination of beautifully finished concrete walls and soffits, and floor to ceiling glazing enhances the student experience whilst providing a wide range of facilities. These include a central cafe, state of the art learning resource centre with secure digital area and 3 additional floors of top-quality digital media/computer design labs.

Site Challenges

The building was designed for a brownfield city centre site, and the programme demands required early site-enabling works to de-risk the preconstruction and construction phases. This included early asbestos removal and demolition of a former administrative building, and a protracted archaeological dig that uncovered a historically-significant medieval cave network.

Procurement 

The project was constructed under a Design and Build contract, however, the technical design of the important elements was developed pre-contract so that quality could be specified pre-tender. This involved:

• Development of the technical/detail design drawings
• Co-ordination of the consultant’s detail design information
• Preparing information for BREEAM requirements (design stage ‘Outstanding’ achieved)
• Contributing to Sustainability, Maintenance and Operational and Handover Strategies.

We were novated to the successful contractor to complete the technical design for the construction stage of the project, coordinating the contractor design elements. We have also coordinated the design information from Confetti Constellations a NTU subsidiary who have prepared the interior design / FFE package and completed the work over the summer 2018 ready for the Autumn term student intake.