9 February 2010
Handover has taken place on the new £1.2m Children's
Centre at Nene Infants and Nursery School in
Cambridgeshire.
The Centre, which was designed by Capita Architecture’s
Cambridge studio, comprises:
- Early years provision (integrated childcare and early
learning);
- A child minders’ network;
- Parenting education and family support services;
- Education, training and employment services, including links
with Jobcentre;
- Child and family health services;
- Support and outreach to parents/carers and children in
need.
Children’s Centres are central to the Government’s ‘Every Child
Matters’ agenda (the expectation is that there will be a centre in
every community by 2010). The Centres aim to improve outcomes for
all young children and reduce inequalities for those growing up in
disadvantaged families.
The Nene Children’s Centre occupies a high profile on the site
whilst operating independently from the school, allowing children
to develop the skills they need before joining mainstream
education. Nevertheless, the design, adjacent the existing
classrooms, is such that pre-school children attending the Centre
will progress seamlessly through to reception classes within a
familiar school context. The form of the building also provides a
clean, contemporary space to welcome young patents and
families.
The Centre features a number of sustainable measures with
particular attention being paid to the materials and finishes
including their production techniques, insulation properties,
lifespan, and disposal. The building is designed to achieve high
standards of natural ventilation and light using cross ventilation
and stack effect combined with highly efficient underfloor heating
served by a single condensing boiler.
Lighting controls include a mixture of PIR, daylight sensors and
photocells while spray nozzle taps reduce water consumption. The
mechanical and electrical installations focus on high efficiency,
low energy delivery, fully controlled to provide the end user with
maximum flexibility in use.