Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley and constructed by Kier Construction, the BACA specialises in entrepreneurship and sports, which is reflected through a range of facilities featured in this new building.
Part of the new facility includes a dance studio and sports hall, ICT rooms, science labs and entrepreneurial pods, where students and members of the community run their own businesses. The facility opened in September 2011.
The building also features environmentally-friendly features consisting of a grass roof, solar panels and grey water reclamation systems. Twenty-two bat boxes will be placed within the academy’s walls with 150 bird boxes already been put in trees behind the building to encourage wildlife.
The design of the building draws inspiration from its surrounding, and forms a part of the landscape of the South Downs. The building has been constructed using flint, chalk and Anthracite bricks, which are the common building materials of the region.
The first floor of the building features full-height flush glazing, which creates a seamless smooth surface that strikes against the textured ground floor. The external walls have been made of chalky white bricks, which reflect natural light into the inner teaching spaces.
The galleried atria and open plan assembly hall create a flowing series of spaces that links all the teaching and administration functions spaces.
