City Learning Centre, Bristol
Architect Alec French Partnership
Engineer Wicheloe MacFarlane BDP
Client Bristol City Council and Excellence in Cities
The City Learning Centre at Monks Parks in
Bristol is one of a series of Centres designed
by the architects, Alec French Partnership, as
a part of the Government’s Excellence in
Cities initiative, designed to provide specialist
cutting edge ICT facilities for Bristol City
Council.
The buildings were commissioned in
February 2001 and completed in December,
being designed to provide high quality
stimulating environments for both the
studious and the disaffected.
The lighting strategy for the building was as
follows:
To provide comfortably lit learning
environments suitable for the use of
computers
To maximize the use of natural light, whilst
minimizing solar gain
To engage the circulation and social spaces
with the outside environment
To allow the users to be aware of changes
in the weather and seasons.
A glance at the plans and sections indicate
how these objectives have been achieved. The
organization of the building is immediately
understandable on entry into the central area,
with its open top lit staircase. The extensive
use of ‘Kalwall’ translucent cladding for the
first floor walls allows high levels of natural
light, whilst avoiding glare to the VDUs (see
also the Chelsea Club, pp. 148^151). At
ground floor level more traditional windows
allow views out from the cafe¤and circulation
areas.The environment created within the
teaching spaces by the translucent glazing at
first floor level provides a good level of
daylight without glare, whilst a sequential
change is made by the movement of the sun
and the weather as it impinges on the
exterior cladding. At night the walls appear
translucent, giving a characteristic appearance
when in use, which establishes the building in
its setting.
The glazed angled projecting cafe¤provides
daylight and views out linking the building
clearly to its context, whilst solar gain is
controlled by a series of horizontal oak
louvres.124 Daylighting: Natural Light in Architecture
Ground floor plan First floor plan
Alec French Ptnrs Alec French Ptnrs