Arts Centre Campaign

The Arts Centre is Sidcot’s most impressive and exciting project to date, and was officially opened in June 2009. Sidcot Arts Centre is a £4m project providing facilities for music, music technology, all genres of art and drama as well as professional exhibition and performance spaces. The centre provides an inspirational learning environment for Sidcot pupils and a fantastic venue for local organisations and interest groups to use.

Sidcot Arts Centre provides the school with a centre that reflects the outstanding quality of art, drama and music created within.  It is the intention for the centre to become self sustaining by developing usage out of school hours.  The professional performance theatres and contemporary exhibition space are used to provide a programme of events throughout the year.  For more information, please visit the Sidcot Arts Centre website.

About the Arts Centre

The new building was designed not only to meet the functional and technical demands of a wide range of dynamic uses, but also provide a high quality architectural envelope. The new building complements the existing buildings within the campus and the mature rural landscape setting.

The main public entrance to the Arts Centre is expressed as a two-storey glazed facade enhanced by a tensile canopy. The visual landmark of the ovular stair tower finished in Siberian larch cladding further enhances the entrance area.

The single storey drama department has a faceted, standing-seam terne-coated roof comprising of slate tiling with glazed north lights. This provides even, natural lighting for the studios beneath.

The music department forms the southern wing of the centre, culminating in a performace space facing east towards the existing main quad. This is an important focal point for the school quad and has a standing- seam terne-coated stainless steel roof forming a canopy over a large double height window. The canopy provides space for external performances as well as shelter and solar shading.

Sustainable Benefits

• The steel frame supports the larch timber cladding, with Panelvent sheathing board used instead of solvent based boards, thus allowing the external fabric to breath.
• The roofs are composite slate, terne-coated stainless steel and rubber membrane in the various locations – all with long lifespans and potentially recyclable or from sustainable sources.
• The thermal insulation is provided by Warmcel (blown recycled newspaper) and is far in excess of the insulation required by current Building Regulations.
• Wherever possible high levels of controlled natural light are utilised.
• Wherever possible ventilation is provided passively using Passivent systems, which are attenuated for acoustic control along the A38 boundary.
• Solar gain is minimised with solar shading over south-facing windows using an aluminium louvre system.
• The underfloor heating system is sustained using air-to-air heat pumps.
• Elements of the building, e.g. steel frame, external blockwork with lime mortar, are designed for easy dismantling and potential recycling at the end of the building’s lifespan.
• Internal partitions are generally removable, allowing for long-term user flexibility.
• Concrete floors and staircases provide excellent thermal mass helping to create a stable internal environment.
• The acoustic engineer has guided the building design to prevent disturbance from the adjacent busy A38 and ‘breakout’ of noise from the music department.

Thank You

This extraordinary facility would not have been possible without the generosity of the many former students, parents, staff and friends of the school who donated to the Arts Centre Campaign.  The response to the campaign was phenomenal, with £2.4m of donations received from individual donations, the Sidcot Old Scholars’ Building Trust Fund and the St Christophers’ Trust.

Although the building is in full use, we are still accepting donations to the campaign.  These donations will be put towards the purchase of specialist equipment for use in the music, drama and art departments.  If you would like to find out more about donating to the Arts Centre Campaign, please contact Sarah Ritchie by email or on 01934 845296.

Please click on the link below to view the campaign update from May 2010.

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