Bath Spa University is situated on the edge of Bath. The campus is approximately 4.14 hectares, with a registered Capability Brown landscape and Grade I listed building.
As part of their assessment of the delivery of education, in 2007 the University commissioned cube_design to assess the overall master plan for the site and consider the provision of academic facilities for the 4,500 students.
The first phase of the master plan involved the provision of the Phase 1 Academic building, now referred to as the “Commons.” This facility is of a world-class standard, incorporating superb digital spaces for TV broadcasting, editing, audio monitoring, and control; as well as teaching spaces, learning commons, and staff commons.
The building provides approximately 103,335 square feet of new development. The project was developed after intensive negotiations with English Heritage, Natural England, the Duchy of Cornwall, Bath and North East Somerset, and a host of external stakeholder groups.
The design evolved as a result of “Enquiry by Design” workshops, assessing the site, the landscape, the views/vistas, while respecting the integrity of the Grade I listed building and registered landscape.
The building provides:
- State of the art digital teaching spaces.
- Bespoke academic teaching spaces, including a new E-library.
- Teaching, learning, and research spaces in a flexible building environment.
- A naturally ventilated, carefully designed building that respects the acoustic requirements.
- EPC Rating "Category A" and BREEAM "Excellent."
The Bath Spa University “Commons” building is truly unique. It is a state of the art facility which will offer not only learning and teaching facilities, but also commercial facilities, which are appropriate to a standard for BBC Digital and Creative Art production.
The building design has also followed a brief with full dedication from the client Bath Spa University, the project team, and the contractors to ensure that the highest quality facilities are delivered.