Blessed Thomas Holford

Working in conjunction with the contractor and the client, Whitespace were asked to space plan, supply and install furniture to the brand new, purpose built six form college at Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College in Altrincham, Cheshire.  Based in an impressive £6.5 million building, with the ability to accommodate up to 300 students, the Sixth Form boasts the very best in facilities and provides post-16 education for the very first time ever at Blessed Thomas Holford.

The new facility comprises of 20 purpose built classrooms, including art studios, science laboratories, a Learning Resource Area, ICT suite, creative media suites, café area along with Head Teacher and senior staff offices.  Our brief was to provide stunning, inspirational spaces which would help the college stand out from the other schools and colleges in the area.  Blessed Thomas Holford needed somewhere which would encourage students and be a sign of the exciting work they do.

The project involved the design, supply and installation of a variety of products, all of which incorporate the colleges exciting colour scheme.  We created a comfortable café and social space to the ground floor, introducing fixed and loose tables and seating, bespoke till points and a soft seating area.

To the first floor we designed and installed a state-of-the-art Learning Resource Area, which offers individual as well as group study areas and breakout zones.  The introduction of curved desking and versatile flip top tables to this area ensures the space can be used to its maximum potential at all times.  The breakout zones were furnished with funky soft seating, providing a space for informal discussions and to encourage social interaction.  The Head Teacher’s office is located on this floor and is furnished with contemporary style furniture, giving the office a modern feel.

The second floor houses an ultra modern ICT suite, to which we introduced bespoke bench desking and floor standing screens, creating four study areas.  We also provided creative media suites on this floor, offering cutting-edge facilities for today’s modern students. Custom-built kidney shaped staff workstations were also installed into these areas.

Additional classrooms and offices throughout the building were designed and furnished to provide flexibility and to encourage communication.

The whole concept was designed to meet DDA requirements and was completed over the summer break.

The result is a dynamic education establishment that is the envy of other schools and colleges in the area.