News
15 February 2010
Brighter City of Derby award for Music School & Sixth Form Centre designed by Pick Everard
The new Music School and Sixth Form Centre at Derby High School designed by Pick Everard has won First Prize in the George Larkin Brighter City of Derby Awards. Pick Everard was presented with a certificate on 12 February by Councillor Sean Marshall, Mayor of the City of Derby, in a ceremony held at the Council House. Judged the best new building completed in Derby during 2009 by Derby Civic Society (which organises and judges the annual awards), the £2million centre was designed by architects at Pick Everard and built by Derby-based contractor G.F. Tomlinson.
Mature, protected trees and a bluebell wood were dominant features of the Derby High School site and so Pick Everard architects cleverly designed these into a master plan for the whole site. The new curved building of the Music School houses practice rooms, recital room and recording studio, and with large windows, is filled with natural light. The Sixth Form Centre has new common room and teaching facilities.
Paul Rothera, Divisional Director at Pick Everard comments, ”We’re delighted with this award – reactions from the school have been overwhelmingly positive and now being considered best new building in Derby by the Derby Civic Society makes us very proud.”
Headmaster of Derby High School Mr Colin Callaghan said: “We are very pleased to be receiving this award, which we feel acknowledges what an impressive building this is. The governors took a conscious decision to go for a landmark building which would be not only functional but also really catch the eye. The design by Pick Everard certainly achieved that aim and we are now reaping the benefits of having a building which not only looks good but also has superb acoustics and a lot of natural light. This not only makes it perfect for music and drama but also has added enormously to the experience of being in the Sixth Form at Derby High.”
Andy Sewards, Chairman of G F Tomlinson Building Limited commented: “G F Tomlinson is delighted that Derby High School entrusted us to deliver this prestigious scheme in our own city of Derby, adding to the many we have successfully delivered in our extensive educational portfolio.”
Pick Everard’s award-winning project history in education in the East Midlands has included Madani Academy, Oakham School and Stephenson College. For Derby Schools PFI, Pick Everard provided an integrated team comprising building services, structural and civil engineering design for each of five school sites in Derby. The firm is currently working on a new business and enterprise centre for the University of Derby.
