Dance Studios at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, designed by Burrell Foley Fischer, are featured in a new publication presenting the case for the use of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) in construction. The building is among one hundred case studies featured in the book, encompassing a wide range of scales, styles and types.
In the foreword the authors note that “While cross-laminated timber (CLT) appears to be finally entering the mainstream, there is considerable inertia in the construction industry that impedes the greater adoption of this truly innovative material. The benefits are clear - building in timber is quick, clean, and easy. It can be achieved with a measured accuracy and lack of noise, waste, or need for material storage space. It has notable benefits in terms of warmth, acoustics, and structural efficiency. In a world ever more concentrated in urban areas, timber is the basis for safe and healthy cities composed of exceptionally designed and responsibly constructed buildings.”
Dance Studios at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts
Rooted in the site’s natural setting the building takes a holistic approach to the environmental conditions related to dancers’ specific needs. The internal heights of the dance studios reach 6 metres at their curved apex reducing to 4 metres towards the eaves. Externally, the eaves are kept intentionally low to reduce the profile of the building while the curved apex and wild flower meadow roof sensitively soften the building into the landscape.
The timber is exposed internally, painted with a white wash to provide a light internal surface that is warm to the touch. The building is naturally ventilated for a large proportion of the year through opening roof lights and perimeter ventilation, with low velocity mechanical ventilation used at other times.
BFF have designed a number of buildings using CLT, including an academic building with six classrooms and six science laboratories for Kingham Hill School, an Arts Centre featuring a 300-seat Recital Hall at Sherborne Girls and a Performing Arts Centre with a 370-seat theatre at Hurstpierpoint College.
Sherborne Girls Arts Centre under construction
Access a free PDF copy of the book here.