Middleton Technology School, Manchester

Middleton Technology School is a coeducational secondary school in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale in the Greater Manchester area. In 1995, the school was awarded specialist status as a Technology College, the first school in North West England to do so, and has since gone on to specialise in technology, vocational education and Raising Achievement Transforming Learning (RATL).

In past years, Middleton Tech was part of the UK Government’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, receiving £9m to build new and improved facilities, including the construction of a new technology block to house classrooms for specialist science, technology, engineering and mathematics, with the funding also utilised to help rebuild the remainder of the school’s facilities.

Previously a community school administered by Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, Middleton Tech converted to academy status in September 2016, where it joined the Great Academies Education Trust. The multi-academy trust was established in 2008 and works across highly diverse city and rural communities, with their academies operating across primary and secondary school level.

With pupil numbers rising among state-funded schools, Middleton Tech was looking to increase their on-site dining capacity and breakout space with a solution that could accommodate their available outdoor space, working with Streetspace to enable the design, manufacture and installation of 4no. external canopies. Provided for the school were 2no. ORION Barrel Vault Tensile Membrane Canopies, alongside 2no. TRITON Maxx Steel Frame Canopies.

Utilising external seating areas already present on the school grounds, the canopies were installed in separate locations adjacent to existing school buildings. To enable a coordinate design that would effectively compliment the site’s surrounding architecture, the steel framework of the canopies was finished in a durable, decorative green polyester powder coating.

ORION Barrel Vault Tensile Membrane Canopies offer strong design versatility alongside a distinctive aesthetic. With dimensions of 455m2 and 485m2 respectively, these were the larger structures in the overall package, with the first canopy covering a multi-use games area (MUGA), doubling up as a covered dining space to offer alternative functionality for the school.

Free from obstructive columns and beams, the large, clearspan design of the canopy creates a spacious and airy environment that is ideal for use as a multi-use games area. The high degree of natural light transmission restricts the need for artificial lighting solutions, offering cost-effectiveness for the school during daylight hours, while the tensile membrane fabric offers excellent sound absorption. This feature is especially useful for teachers conducting sports lessons during heavy rainfall, while being able to absorb excessive noise when doubling up as a dining area during lunch periods.

The second tensile membrane canopy was installed adjacent to the school’s Elephant House Diner building, providing a large covered outdoor seating area ideal for use as an effective breakout space when the Elephant House Diner is at full capacity, while functioning as an outdoor study area when required.

Comprising an asymmetric roof profile ideal for positioning adjacently alongside buildings, the first TRITON Maxx canopy was constructed at the rear of the diner over an existing raised seated area. Toughened glass panels installed at the side elevation of the canopy enable additional protection against the elements, particularly from wind flow running through the structure.

The second TRITON Maxx canopy covers an open space situated between the school’s Hardwood Building and an access ramp to an additional facility. With a symmetric curved roof profile and unobtrusive column positioning, the flexible design form of the canopy was able to adapt to the required space, offering an effective shelter for pupils when using the thoroughfare, or in periods of congestion outside the buildings.

The 4no. external canopies supplied and installed for Middleton Tech provide effective outdoor covered space suitable for year-round use. Included in the package of works was the installation of integrated guttering and downpipes connected to surface water drainage, helping to ensure the spaces remain as dry as possible and able to facilitate a variety of functions without disruption.