Atrium School in Ashburton is a Studio School for students in Years 9-13 specialising in the Built Environment – the first of its’ kind in the South West. The scheme provides education for students aspiring to professional careers in Architecture, Interior Design, Ecology, Structural Engineering, Surveying and Planning.

Sands provided Civil and Structural Engineering services for the development. The civil design included a highways design scheme that altered the existing road and access route to enable coaches to arrive and depart from the College.

This posed some specific challenges as there were significant issues regarding movement of coaches, cars and pedestrians.

The structural design was also not without its challenges; the ground conditions were difficult and the steel framed structure had to be designed to provide large column free areas for teaching and circulation.

The project was delivered on time and on budget and subsequently entered into the Michelmores Awards in 2016.