Physical education teachers' training centre for girls, Jordanstown, Northern Ireland

Abstract

SITE LAYOUT: Functional considerations require that the collegiate buildings should be planned to act as the focus of activities of the training centre. This could best be achieved by placing the buildings at a point most conveniently accessible from all the sports fields. The plan shape of the site, basically similar to a three pointed star, suggested that the college should be sited at the centre of the star form. The residential units were considered to be best sited adjacent to the college units thus avoiding any duplication of amenities, services etc. and permitting covered access from one group to the other. The position of the existing access avenues, services and the natural landscape , reinforced the logic of the solution. The siting at the focus of the site still allowed for good orientation, reasonable shelter and, in the case of the residence, privacy.PLAYING FIELDS: The site form suggested that the sports areas be broken down into three groups, the planning of the groups being largely governed by the nature of the existing land, natural drainage and the condition of turf areas. It was decided to retain the southern areas of the site as a green belt where lawns already existed and where little extra work would be required to provide lawn tennis courts and a cricket square. It was also felt that the activities on the green belt could form an attractive feature on the south side of the buildings. The other sports areas required have been placed on the northern and western arms of the site. The general practice pitches have been sited on the north while the first class pitches and athletic amenities have been placed on the west, where easy access from both the centre and from the main roads can be obtained.BUILDING UNITS: The placing of the buildings at the centre of the site permitted the college to be planned to relate to both the main drive and the service drive without involving the crossing of pedestrian and vehicular circulation. By relating the Residential buildings to the college by means of a central service court servicing problems have been simplified, and the opportunity provided to centralise the heating and pumping plant required, and at the same time allowing for the complete use of communal facilities.The actual overall plan form evolved, that of two courts buildings connected by a service court, although arrived at by considering the unit relationships in each of the buildings has provided the opportunity of creating a spacial relationship between the small building units and the site, and is wholly in keeping with the contours of the site.COLLEGIATE UNITS: The grouping of the main elements around the perimeter of the gymastic area has allowed for easy access from any one part of the college to another and provided a satisfactory method of relating the various units with one another. In addition the court plan provides an attractive feature to the various units opening off it. In brief, the various units have been planned with consideration to function, orientation, aspect and service zoning. The Administrative block, including the class rooms and staff quarters, has been planned to relate to both the main public entrance and the residence, and situated closely to the Gymnasium wing and the general Assembly Hall.The School Remedial Hall has been planned to have dual use as a gymnasium and has therefore been placed in the Gymnasia wing. The necessity for direct public access has led to the Remedial Hall being planned in close conjunction with the Main Entrance and the Administrative offices. The planning of changing accommodation between gymnasia has principally been influenced by the necessity to reduce circulation areas and to economise on walling required.The Assembly Hall was considered to relate not only to the collegiate buildings but also to the Residence and to the dining facilities; this together with noise considerations and the duplicate use of changing facilities led to its plan position.The Swimming Hall, possibly one of the lesser used facilities, demanded the maximum of sunlight in addition to comparative privacy and shelter from the prevailing winds. It has been sited on the a north west side of the court where it opens up on its southern wall to the courtyard.The location of the Games Hall, one of the largest units, was determined by the fact that the changing rooms, stores etc. would be required for use with the playing fields and athletic areas.The south eastern side of the service court has been closed off. The two buildings have been linked by stores and the heating chamber access stairway, providing a covered way relating the Assembly Hall to the dining facilities in the Residence.RESIDENTIAL UNITS: At the early design stage it was felt that from the point of view of massing the student living quarters should be planned in one or two large units. This was later abandoned on the grounds that it would involve long corridor areas and would not produce the more intimate domestic scale felt desirable for a residence. It was finally decided to plan the living quarters in a series of small house units opening off a main garden court which would act as the focal point in the scheme.The Student living quarters have been broken down into house groups of 20 students with 40 students in one unit in the case of the first year students. The individual house units have been planned with three bedroom floors, seven study bedrooms to each floor leaving the ground floor free for the House Common Room and the other communal facilities. It has been attempted in the house units to break the student quarters into small communal groups, both by adopting the house system and by subdividing the house quarters into small groups of bedrooms. The house planning with the open ground floor plan and the small bedroom floors has also been intended to illiminate unnecessary circulation areas. The house units have been sited round the perimeter of the court with a connecting covered walk way, the units being linked by the single storey junior staff quarters with their small informal gardens. The intention has been to l s produce a better community feeling with staff members dispersed among the student quarters, allowing for the possibility of a certain amount of staff control and at the same time a degree of privacy. In addition, it was intended that the arrangement should create an intimate atmosphere and provide an interesting spacial relationship between the main court, the student common rooms and the informal staff gardens.The staff common room and senior staff living quarters have been mainly planned with consideration to orientation, aspect and reasonable privacy and isolation from the students.The main consideration in the placing of the sick bay has been the necessity for privacy, quietness and orientation.It is felt that this solution has in general made full use of the opportunities provided by the topography of the site and the variety of views offered by the surrounding countryside, while solving the sociological and architectural problems.