ADP secures planning approval for new teacher training hub in Durham

ADP Architecture’s multidisciplinary offering with AKS Ward and KJ Tait – Corde – has achieved planning permission for a new teaching training hub at Sedgefield Community College in Durham.

By providing vocational training for local graduates, the hub will help the North East keep talent in the region by training them to pass on their knowledge to the next generation.

The hub is being delivered through a partnership between the Laidlaw Schools Trust and Durham University.

The new building links to an existing annex, and includes new social and teaching spaces, as well as a large auditorium.

Corde used numerous structural innovations in the design such as a fabric-first approach, which ensures that the building will be highly sustainable once in use.

The hub will also feature a green roof and wind catchers to aid natural ventilation.

Dave Davies, director of school improvement at the Laidlaw Schools Trust, said: “This exciting announcement means that Sedgefield will soon have a truly inspirational facility where student teachers, many of whom will take up posts at Laidlaw Schools Trust academies, will be able to learn from some of the most talented and successful teachers in the North East.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank The Laidlaw Foundation for their exceptional support without which our ambitious vision would not be about to become reality.”