St Crispin's School

RCDC provided and assessed full MEP design for the dining hall extension at St. Crispins School, Wokingham working directly for Wokingham Borough Council and Circle Academy Trust as end clients. The project formed part of council-wide school extension plan aimed at increasing student capacity across three schools, with a key focus on sustainability.

Under this initiative, St. Crispins school was provided with an extension to the existing dining area bringing the hall capacity to over 300 spaces, as well as undergoing refurbishment to adjacent classroom and offices. We developed the design for RIBA stages 2-3 and acted as client's side technical advisors during stages 4 and 5 of design and build.

We extended the school’s existing services, providing new PV panel arrays for onsite energy generation. The extension’s heating circuit was futureproofed by making it compatible with low-carbon heat sources, such as air source heat pumps.

To minimise the risk of overheating while also maximising useful solar gain, a simulation model was developed, compiling over 2400 façade and rooflight design iterations. As a result, a fully natural ventilation-reliant design was provided for the main hall.