Client: Oban High School

Architect: Ryder Architecture

Cladding contractor/installer: Chemplas

Tata Steel products: Trisobuild® C32/1000, SAB-pyramid 50/1000 profile, and Colorcoat Prisma® in Ephyra and Anthracite

Year: 2018

Oban high school is an architecturally acclaimed and technically significant education project, forming part of a blueprint for the future development of schools and colleges in Scotland, which has been made possible using a package of high-performance cladding and roofing products from Tata Steel that both fulfil the design ambitions and withstand the physically challenging climate to which the buildings will be exposed.

Ryder Architecture, responded to the ambitions of Scottish Schools for the Future (SSF) by creating design concepts for Oban High School, and the neighbouring Campbeltown Grammar School, based around the ‘Superblock’ typology: a multi-storey ring of teaching and support spaces arranged

around a series of internal atria. Tata Steel products provide the robust and distinctive finishes to a modern method of construction, which is quick to install and resistant to their environment.

Case studyOban High School

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Case study Oban High School

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CONTEXTUALLY APPROPRIATE DESIGN SOLUTIONS

The challenge: Education buildings demand that project teams and their clients address a unique set of objectives which span not only functional, budgetary and safety constraints, but also considerations regarding a development’s contribution to the environment and the community. In the case of Scotland’s west coast and the islands, these challenges are further complicated by the often very harsh climate and what can be a severely restricted window for the actual build process.

The scale of the project is also very large with the Oban High School being developed in tandem with the new Campbeltown Grammar School on an existing site, where the original buildings had to remain fully occupied until completion. The multi-million project was taken forward by Argyll and Bute Council in partnership with Hub North Scotland Ltd. and the Scottish Futures Trust, through the Scottish Government’s Schools for the Future programme.

According to Ryder Architecture, the location and context for the project were critical: it is brought into sharp focus when working in the coastal regions and islands of northern Scotland. The landscape and coastline this territory covers were memorably described by Stuart MacDonald in the foreword to the ‘6,000 Miles’ exhibition (2003), part of the Scottish Government’s policy on architecture, as one that “shapes our identity and delineates our image of Scotland. It is a point of entry and departure. It is margin and edge. It differentiates us from our neighbours, culturally…. geographically”. Ryder went on to assert that this sense of uniqueness of place, climate, history and setting presents a significant challenge in the context of the SSF programme.

The solution: Ryder Architecture’s response to the multiple challenges presented by the Oban High School and Campbeltown Grammar School development was informed not only by the Scottish education sector’s key principles and proven templates, but also by a desire for the designs to fully respect their unique setting.

The practice described its projects within the SSF programme as lying in a wide arc at the very edge of not only Hub North Scotland territory, but also Europe itself: at Campbeltown, Oban, Wick and Lerwick. ‘These places all have their own strong cultural and geographical identities, but also share significant commonalities which have shaped our architectural response. All are situated within the harsh coastal areas and all have significantly greater variation in topography than would be found on sites in the central region.

‘These broad similarities led us to adopt a simple but distinct approach to adapting the exemplar model in the coastal setting. By recognising the unique qualities and characteristics of place, the Scottish Futures Trust exemplar model is manipulated through a series of iterative steps, to provide a contextually appropriate design solution. These buildings must read as being modern, fit-for-purpose facilities.’

It is one of the key features to Tata Steel’s customer service, that there is an integrated supply chain stretching from specification and design support, through to colour selection advice and components, to delivery and site assistance, including training.

The outward appearance of the adjoining school buildings is unified through the common specification by the architects of Tata Steel’s products including SAB-Pyramid profiles and Trisobuild® built-up systems, manufactured from Colorcoat Prisma® pre-finished steel. The beauty of the SAB-Pyramid 50/1000 (600-400) profiles, provided a solution where the points were very accurately aligned to emphasise the design. Significantly, in response to the design brief and the unusually aggressive climatic conditions, the profile uses double sided Colorcoat Prisma® with the colour Ephyra as the outer face, and Anthracite on the reverse. A double-sided product offers additional corrosion resistance and a longer working life for a single skin design, as well as another visual dimension in those marginal areas where the back of the cladding is visible.

Additionally, over 1,100m2 of Tata Steel’s pre-finished steel was also supplied for flashings across the elevations to the two schools; offering a neutral textured background for each educational establishment’s signage.

The Director in charge for Ryder Architecture, Chris Malcolm, commented: “Aside from being an aggressive marine environment, one of the characteristics of the location on the western fringes of Scotland is that the quality of the light can change quite quickly, in combination with being very wet. So sometimes cladding can look very shiny, and then as the sky gets overcast – the way that light and shadow works becomes quite important. We therefore thought the impact of the cladding panel could be dramatic in terms of the way it affects your perception of the building with the weather conditions, while it also helps tie the building into the wider landscape.

“It is not only the unique usage of colours prevalent in that area, but the way that a metallic finish highlights the changing quality of the sunlight; between morning, afternoon and at sunset. Then the open joint toblerone-shaped detail has been used to accentuate the verticality of the profile and the cladding pattern; creating a visual rhythm. The SAB-Pyramid profiles were excellent for reflecting the light.”

The specialist sub-contractor awarded the cladding package for Oban High School, Newcastle-based Chemplas, is well experienced in the application of Tata Steel’s products.

The Quantity Surveyor for Chemplas, Glen

Archbold, reflected: “We always get good support from Tata Steel and find both the cladding and roofing systems easy to install. For the Oban contract, progress went really well, with our teams working on both the high school and the Campbeltown Grammar school simultaneously. The wall cladding featuring the shadow gap being installed in the manner of a rainscreen system.”

“We supplied the roofing system in very long lengths to span 19 metres. This minimised end laps to provide air-tightness and helped ensure the building’s required thermal performance,” said Wayne Reynolds, Tata Steel’s Area Sales Manager, Building Systems UK. “In addition, the bespoke lengths minimised the number of roofing components for a fast and efficient build.”

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Case study Oban High School

Ryder’s Chris Malcolm confirmed:

“Tata Steel’s products offered us a robust and value-added solution to constructing the building.

“Equally the changeability of the weather prompted a choice of material that makes use of depth of finish to maximise the impact of shadow on the surfaces: allowing different perception under a range of weather and lighting conditions.

With the highest European standard classification for UV and corrosion performance, the pre-finished steel is capable of withstanding the harsh environment.”

For design advice on any of our Colorcoat® products, please contact the Colorcoat Connection® helpline:T: +44 (0)1244 892434E: colorcoat.connection@tatasteeleurope.com

For design advice on any of our building envelope products, please contact a member of our Technical Team:T: +44 (0)1244 892199E: technical.envelopeproducts@tatasteeleurope.com

Tata Steel products:Products used by Chemplas on the project include 265m2 of Trisobuild® C32/1000 wall system, which formed the parapet wall on the roof in Ephyra and 3,440m2 of Colorcoat Prisma® in the SAB-Pyramid 50/1000 profile for the Oban High School. On the Campbeltown Grammar School building a further 2,000m2 of Colorcoat Prisma® in SAB-Pyramid 50/1000 profile was installed. Across both schools, the Colorcoat Prisma® in Ephyra had a balancing finish in Anthracite applied on the reverse side to offer additional environmental protection and provide contrast in places where the reverse is seen. Collectively, these products helped to achieve the client and consultant’s multiple objectives

in terms of performance, appearance and buildability.

The location of the development deems the buildings will be subject to some of the harshest weather conditions experienced around the UK, with resistance to the aggressive coastal environment being paramount. In particular the robustness of the Colorcoat Prisma® pre-finished steel for the Trisobuild® and SAB-Pyramid profiles was vital.

Building owners enjoy the added reassurance of the Confidex® Guarantee for the pre-finished steel which offers a guarantee period of up to 40 years for inland areas and can cover the whole

weather side of the building envelope; irrespective of factors such as orientation or roof pitch. Importantly it provides a contractual guarantee between Tata Steel and the building owner.

The architects also took full advantage of the aesthetic benefits to Colorcoat Prisma®, SAB-Pyramid and Trisobuild® profiles in the detailing of the envelope, drawing on the geometry of the SAB-Pyramid profiles, which were accurately installed in vertical alignment by Chemplas, with full consideration being given to the textures and colours in terms of their perception under different weather conditions.