Mar 09 - A bed in a shed
Like any school, the Royal Alexandra and Albert School has sheds that store various items essential to maintenance of the grounds and buildings. But there is a surprise waiting for anyone who ventures into shed number T206. Because inside this shed there are two study bedrooms complete with ensuite bathroom facilities. However, no one has moved in yet because this is a mock-up of new study bedrooms for our sixth formers that are planned for boarding house extensions at the School.So why has the School built bedrooms in a shed? Bursar, Diana Bromley, whose responsibilities include development of new School buildings explains “When we build the study bedrooms for the expansion of our sixth form, we want to make sure they meet our exacting requirements. For the first time the new study bedrooms will have ensuite facilities and they will be shared between two rooms so we want to make sure that this new kind of arrangement works. The best way to do this is to create a life-sized model.”
The model was created by the Carpenter at the School, Paul Johnson. Paul, who has completed many complex carpentry projects at the School, created the model over a four week period. It has a floor, ceiling, window opening, walls, doors, furniture and bathroom fittings to make sure it is as realistic as possible. “We can now assess whether the room size and shape are appropriate, how the furniture will fit in and also where the doors should be positioned. Whilst it was a lot of work to build, the model has already led to some alterations to improve the final design so it was a worthwhile exercise.”
