Thomas Deacon Academy
Peterborough, UK, 2003-2007
Foster + Partners
Image Source: Brady Peters / Foster + Partners
Thomas Deacon Academy is a school for 2200 pupils aged 11-19. Architecturally, it is organized as three storey curving band of teaching rooms surrounding a large bright central courtyard. To break down the scale of the building, the Academy is divided into six smaller units, one for each of the colleges that form the basis of the schools educational structure. Each college consists of a V-shaped ribbon of classrooms. The library, auditorium, and other meeting rooms are located in this central organizing space. The central courtyard space is covered by a large doubly-curved roof which provides daylight, artificial light, acoustic absorption, and has opening panels for fire strategy. The educational concept behind the Academy involves a specialism in Mathematics and Science and departs from a conventional model of secondary schooling in favour of a university type environment with lectures, seminars and tutorials.
Image Source: Brady Peters / Foster + Partners
I worked extensively on the design of this central courtyard roof structure. The plan for was largely determined already and created a challenge for the roof structure in terms of panelization strategies and the huge span distances it introduced. I used a variety of parametric tools and 3d modelling software to create many different design options. The final design is based on a complex combination of different tools and techniques. The form approximates that of an inflated "pneumatic" surface. I wrote a custom computer program to find this form. However, this form is then rationalized with simple arcs through the complex central spine which is defined by the pneumatic surface. The panels are triangulated to create a planar panelization solution.
Image Source: Foster + Partners
The design of the courtyard roof was communicated to the fabricator not through a digital model, but through a document called the Geometry Method Statement. This assured reliable data transfer between different CAD systems as fabricators are required to build their own digital models following the rules set out by the geometry method statement. This deliberate educational strategy assured the fabricator has a full understanding of the geometric complexities of the project. This document described the design in terms of simple geometric rules that allow the design to be communicated.