- Location:
- Derbyshire
- Services:
- Client:
- Alfreton Park Community School
- Sector:
- Hospitality & Conference
Retrofit & Recladding
The building lies at the centre of Alfreton Park between a children’s play area and a cricket pitch, and adjacent to Alfreton Park Community Special School.
The School saw the potential of creating a new cafe / restaurant close to the play area, to provide a new amenity in a parkland area popular with dog walkers.
Rather than opting for a new build, the School are keen to re-use and repurpose the existing building: Our design sympathetically refurbishes the existing shell of the deer shed, with the addition of an extension to cater for the Client’s desire to seat 30 people.
The cafe ensures accessibility for all, with wide spaces provided between fixed tables to the inside and outdoor seating areas.
Sustainability is key to the scheme, with reclaimed materials from the original building to be used wherever possible, a ground source heat pump will supply the underfloor heating, and rainwater harvesting will provide water for the toilets. The introduction of glazing to existing openings, supported by rooflights above, maximises natural daylighting internally and provides great views of the landscape.
Natural cross-ventilation is achieved through openable windows.
In order to reflect the natural wooded parkland setting we introduced a biophilic interior design, including greenery placed along the roof trusses.
