Projects

This project merged two existing schools to create a 1650-place academy in Greater Manchester. This was part of a strategy to create healthy, successful and sustainable communities. The academy’s sport specialism is celebrated through the creation of a specialised hub, with indoor and outdoor facilities.

The layout features five ‘home bases’—one for each year group, to foster a sense of belonging and progression among students. Each base has its own pastoral and learning areas, centred around a double-height open learning space. They are connected by an ‘internal street’, which opens to shared social and dining spaces.

Beacon of Light is a unique sport and education centre. The football-focused facility, located next to Sunderland AFC’s Stadium of Light, provides a vibrant environment for locals to socialise, learn and gain qualifications.

The building stacks a rooftop football barn on top of education and community facilities, maximising external space for revenue-generating 5-a-side pitches. The height of the building establishes it as a beacon, especially in the context of the neighbouring stadium.

Located on a constrained site in Oldham, this 1,200-place academy provides a versatile space for learning, playing and socialising. The careful and clever design also maximises space for sports facilities.

The masonry four-storey teaching block contains learning spaces, a generous atrium and admin spaces, centred around a double-height dining hall. This connects with an external courtyard with sports, play and social spaces, which is framed by two metal clad double-height blocks containing the main hall and sports hall. The materials and form of the buildings reference the area’s historic mill buildings.

The redesign of Cockburn School aimed to transform the disparate buildings constructed over 40 years into a new, unified centre for learning, efficiently organised by department. We sought to revive the school in a way that would inspire pride. We constructed a more inviting entrance and transformed the existing courtyard into a space for dining, socialising and performing.

One of the main challenges was completing the necessary work with minimal disruption. We achieved this with a phased approach and detailed timetabling that ensured a safe and functional school always operated. The success of this approach was illustrated by attendance actually increasing during the construction period. It continued to rise after the revitalised learning spaces were completed.

Daventry UTC was one of the first technical colleges in the country, providing vocational education with an emphasis on sustainable technologies.

The three-storey learning block integrated practical and theory-based learning spaces, which overlooked a triple-height workshop running the full scale of the block, allowing room for large-scale projects. Appropriately, these were housed beneath a striking, industrial sawtooth roof. The design negotiated a significant slope and clusters of mature trees, which were retained and protected during construction.

The building created a distinctive identity for the UTC and was a prominent part of the town’s wider regeneration plans.

Continuing FaulknerBrowns’ work with Durham University, we completed a remodel of their primary sports facility. This involved the refurbishment of existing facilities as well as an expansion, which included the addition of an indoor cricket hall, a 12-court multi-use sports hall, a martial arts studio and fitness suite, as well as sports science, recovery and support facilities.

The site is near a conservation area and has views of the Durham Castle and Cathedral UNESCO World Heritage Site. The design sensitively minimises the overall height of the development by adopting efficient forms and structures.

InfoLab21 is a research centre for Computing and Communications systems at Lancaster University. The main aim of the centre is to encourage technology transfer from the university’s research to the local and regional industry.

The green panelling and copper accents provide a visually arresting signpost for the university, signalling its confidence as a research-based institution. The large glass facades and bold, angular form make the centre modern and distinctive, while the roof terrace and focus on sustainability connect it to the surrounding environment. Internally, the research wing is configured in an innovative new layout, bringing academic teams together around shared 'club' spaces with transparent offices.

Against fierce competition, the building was awarded ‘Best Corporate Workplace’ at the prestigious British Council for Offices Awards–the first university building to receive the honour.

This sports centre was developed as part of a strategy to improve the lifestyle offerings for staff and students at Lancaster University, as well as the local community. The centre provides both fitness and competition-standard facilities, including an eight-lane swimming pool, climbing wall, four sports halls and comprehensive fitness suite.

The large glass facades provide abundant natural light and promote the quality of the facilities inside. The centre was designed around sustainable goals, utilising green solutions like natural ventilation and a CHP plant that efficiently generates electricity and heat from the same source.

On opening, around 13,000 people a week used the centre, with 50% coming from the local community—far exceeding anticipated numbers.

Latymer Upper School is an independent school in west London known for excelling in sports. Following a competitive interview process, FaulknerBrowns won the commission to design a redevelopment of their existing sports facilities, which were no longer fit for purpose.

The centre includes a 25m six-lane swimming pool, four-court sports hall and a gym. The site is on a conservation area by the River Thames, and is surrounded by sensitive residential streets, meaning it required careful negotiation, particularly regarding the ‘right to light’. Our solution to enable the building to fit in a very constrained site was stacking the multi-purpose halls above the swimming pool. This also orientates the building’s mass towards the busy A4, creating a high-profile design statement which, particularly at night, advertises the school’s presence.

Part of Bangor University, this is the first dedicated science park in Wales, with a focus on the low-carbon energy, ICT and environmental sectors.

This landmark facility provides co-working spaces, offices, laboratories and workshops for new and established businesses. FaulknerBrowns designed the building to foster community and encourage knowledge sharing. We created a vibrant central hub to act as a flexible work area, event venue and meeting point, linking the surrounding tenancy spaces that line the perimeter. Large glazed panels provide natural light and views to Snowdonia and the surrounding countryside. The external structure features sharp angles and clean lines, with a white ribbon lining the exterior, giving the building a bold and futuristic look.

This cultural venue hosts exhibitions, glass-making demonstrations and family crafts. Following its acquisition by the University of Sunderland, we were commissioned to breathe new life into the destination. The improved, intuitive layout has allowed for a variety of arts and cultural programmes and has increased visitor numbers.

Working with the university and Arts Council, we centred the design process around visitor experience, aiming to provide a reinvigorated cultural destination. We created an easily-navigable landscape of galleries, interactive lecture facilities and creative teaching studios.

Newcastle University’s Medical Sciences Centre provides a sustainable environment for two leading medical research teams: The Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology (CBCB) and The Institute of Health and Society (IHS).

The building houses high-specification microbiological laboratories for CBCB, arranged with an innovative configuration of write-up areas housed in cascading terraces. These are linked by the primary circulation stair, which provides connections to the laboratories at each level, integrating the centre’s 100 researchers. In contrast, we created flexible and efficient office space for the dynamic IHS teams to undertake a range of health-related research projects.

A central forum connects the research groups and wider medical school, providing a reception area, café and seminar facilities.

Newcastle University’s listed Union Society building is both a significant landmark and the social focus of the campus. FaulknerBrowns’ refurbishment sought to introduce an additional dimension to the building by integrating informal learning spaces, ensuring it remains a vibrant student destination throughout the day.

A combination of internal reconfiguration and the construction of a new entrance and circulation areas supports the union’s objectives of participation, representation and experience. It increases the presence and accessibility of the union’s student advice, advocacy and volunteering support activities, and provides opportunities for new commercial activities that will support campus life.

This £43 million landmark project was one of the first integrated schools, sports and leisure projects in the United Kingdom.

The campus includes a primary school, secondary school and swimming pools shared by the schools and local community, as well as sports pitches and changing facilities for the town’s football, rugby and cricket clubs. Enhancing the versatility of the centre, there is also a library, café, climbing wall, soft-play area, fitness suite, sports halls and luxury spa.

The leisure facilities can be accessed separately from either side of the building, allowing them to switch between school and community use while maintaining the safeguarding of children.

FaulknerBrown’s redevelopment of Pudsey Grangefield School sought to provide a transformational learning environment. We reimagined the conventional classroom into spaces allocated to open, group, and show-and-tell learning, promoting both personal and project-based learning. Academic achievement significantly improved since the redevelopment, demonstrating the success of this approach.

The L-shaped building divides the school into two blocks containing community and learning facilities, creating easily separated community resources after school hours. The blocks are connected by two internal streets for social dining and open learning during the school day.

We responded to the challenging site—located on a significant gradient and bisected by two public rights of way—by carefully designing the facilities so that each of the school’s three storeys has ‘ground-level’ access to the landscape.

The centre’s location in Belfast’s Botanic Gardens—easily accessible from most student accommodation—makes it an attractive and calming space to exercise.

FaulknerBrowns chose a circular form for the building, in contrast to the box-like appearance of the previous sports centre. Although smaller in mass and scale, this design gives it a strong presence. The building centres around a two-floor climbing wall, which is visible to all visitors.

The new centre also features a café overlooking the park and the river, and became a major asset to the sporting and social life of south Belfast.

Scarborough UTC provides high-quality academic and technical facilities specialising in engineering, manufacturing and technology. The college is part of the social and economic regeneration of Scarborough, providing education, skills and career opportunities.

FaulknerBrowns had a tight timeline for this project: we successfully completed design within six weeks, with just 18 months from briefing to occupation. We achieved this by developing a fixed building envelope that reflected the context of the site, allowing us to achieve planning consent while we continued to develop the interior.

The three-storey building consists of a learning block with formal and informal learning spaces arranged around an atrium. This connects to a double-height engineering workshop that has a glazed ‘shop front’ by the main entrance, celebrating UTC’s specialism.

FaulknerBrowns was chosen to design the redevelopment of St. John’s pool building. We designed a two-storey extension that accommodates a 25-metre swimming pool, gym and multi-purpose space. The building wraps around two sides of the existing sports hall, giving the appearance of a completely refreshed facility and allowing for further expansion in future phases.

We implemented a dual-pitch roof form, minimising the height so as not to impose on the main sports hall or neighbouring properties. The double-pitch design is replicated inside the pool hall with a steel frame and glass panels, creating continuity of aesthetic.

Rooflights above the pool allow natural light in and reduce the need for artificial lighting. Natural tones and materials are used throughout, namely light timber and large glazed panelling, which create soft and airy activity spaces.

The University of Surrey Sports Park is one of the largest higher education sports centres in the UK. The extensive mix of facilities includes a 50-metre pool, 12-court sports hall, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, rugby, football and hockey pitches, and two multi-use games areas. The centre also includes a café, restaurant, bars and conference rooms, making it a truly multi-purpose venue.

The facility was designed to international standards, supporting high-performance athletes, but also providing a warm and welcoming space for all users. The prominent use of light timber and the fluid roof form help to soften the building’s scale and ground it in its natural surroundings.

The park was used as a training venue for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games—a testament to the quality of its facilities and design.

Teesside’s Student Life building acts as a central home for the university’s range of support services and provides spaces for a variety of learning styles.

Despite a relatively simple exterior, the interior was carefully developed to integrate support services with learning facilities and was arranged to balance openness with confidentiality. Generally, social and collaborative spaces—such as the ‘Creator Lab’, ‘Digital Futures’ centre and café—are found on the ground floor, with quieter, individual learning spaces placed higher up for privacy.

The building had a notable social impact, particularly in supporting the retention and success of students with complex learning needs and was recognised with an RICS Social Impact Award in 2020.

This five-storey student accommodation building has over 200 rooms, split between studio apartments and en-suites. The ground-floor provides space for study and social interaction and connects to a central courtyard overlooked by the kitchens. The bedrooms are placed around the perimeter of the building, benefitting from views, natural light and ventilation.

We employed off-site construction to maximise site development potential and efficiency—the time between construction starting and occupation was just 12 months. The bright aluminium cladding gives a distinctive identity, which is continued internally.

The Acer Nethercott Sports Centre is set in the grounds of the Iffley Road running track—known as the home of Roger Bannister’s sub-four-minute mile. The centre’s most distinctive feature is its LED-lit glass ‘smart’ floor—the first of its kind in the UK. The lights beneath the surface can be operated via touch screen to form court lines for 84 different sports, including badminton, basketball, handball and volleyball, widening the variety of sports students can try. This innovative solution was developed over five years in collaboration with the university. The building embraces low and zero-carbon technologies, including the heat recovery system that capitalises unused heat from the neighbouring pool.

This centre was part of a £20 million transformation of the University of Stirling’s sports facilities, which include national tennis and swimming academies.

The new building includes a fitness suite with more than 100 stations, three-court sports hall, indoor cycling studio, strength and conditioning area, and a state-of-the-art performance gym.

Users of the building also benefit from enhanced changing facilities and social spaces, including a café. The building’s glazed frontage exposes a central cylindrical drum with vertical timber fins spaced to create a concertina effect. This feature presents the illusion of motion and acts as a welcoming focal point in the entrance.