Gibside SEN School shortlisted for RICS Award

Published 9th October 2022

Waterman is delighted that the new £12 million Gibside SEN school in Gateshead has been shortlisted in the Community Benefit category at the RICS 2022 Awards.

The awards showcase the most inspirational initiatives and developments in land, real estate, construction and infrastructure while recognising outstanding achievement, teamwork and companies.

Completed during the pandemic and on time, the new Gibside SEN school has the capacity to accommodate 170 pupils providing a life changing start to the education for children with complex learning and medical needs. The one-storey building includes 21 classrooms, a hydrotherapy pool with hoists, two halls, an internal sheltered courtyard and sensory and soft playrooms. Further facilities include specialist changing facilities and offices for physiotherapy.

The school also features a multi-use games area with accessible gym equipment and separate play areas for key stage 1 and 2 and early years children. An extensive landscaped area outside with fruit trees also provides children with further space to explore and benefit from the fresh air.

Working closely with Wates Group and Gateshead Council, Waterman’s team provided building services engineering design for this state-of-the-art scheme. During the early design stages, our engineers developed a tailored solution to suit the individual needs of the students including incorporating specialist audio and visual sensory equipment and hybrid natural ventilation to control draughts and swimming facilities.

The building was designed to minimise energy usage with high thermal efficiency and connection to the Gateshead District Energy scheme which delivers low carbon energy for the buildings heating and hot water.

To see the full shortlist, click here.

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