Living + Learning
Living + Learning
Living + Learning describes a selection of our work in academic and collegiate contexts over the past 25 years.
Estate Masterplans
Our team creates frameworks for strategic decisions to be easily made. Frameworks which enhance existing buildings, infrastructure, and landscape to maximise potential. We have been involved in a range of projects across the country, projects that have enriched their settings. MICA’s work includes estate wide appraisals and masterplans, review of built fabric and conservation statements, new build, refurbishment and extensions to boarding houses and education facilities.
Selected Projects
Stowe School, Buckinghamshire; Cheltenham Ladies’ College; Bede’s Senior School, East Sussex; Mansfield College, Oxford; East Ham Civic Campus, London; The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn; Lancaster University Bailrigg Campus; King’s College London; Keble College, Oxford; Jesus College, Oxford.
“MICA brought superb master-planning and coherence to the academic area and allowed the School to develop an educational vision which has made Stowe into one of the top independent schools in the UK.”
–Dr Anthony Wallersteiner, Headmaster
Boarding Houses
MICA has twenty years of experience working with Stowe School, from Estates masterplanning to delivering four purpose built boarding houses and a transformative refurbishment of the art school.
“West has quickly established itself as a popular destination for Sixth Form pupils coming to Stowe: it is highly acclaimed for its daring geometry, superb facilities, beautifully proportioned rooms and carefully thought out assonance with the surrounding Western Gardens.”
–Dr Anthony Wallersteiner, Headmaster of Stowe
Mansfield College approached MICA over 10 years ago to devise a strategy for the development of their main campus, and to realise their ambition to house all undergraduates on this site, creating a friendly base containing all the services required for the student community.
Through the masterplan MICA were able to identify opportunities to refurbish and rationalise the existing buildings, as well as sensitively creating new buildings within the established grounds, replacing existing buildings in poor condition. Four phases have been completed which through efficient planning, achieve greater density while retaining high quality spaces.
“One of the most recent striking examples of CLT construction is The Hands Building in Love Lane, Mansfield College.”
–Stephen Powney
Contemporary education and learning spaces
We are dedicated to the creation of beautiful and inspiring education spaces that are produced through economy and efficiency.
“Anyone designing for higher education can learn much from them... the practice has quietly produced some of the best new university buildings of recent years, from Oxford to Liverpool.”
–Hugh Pearman, RIBA Journal
Being careful with the past
Newham Collegiate Sixth Form Centre is a completely new endeavour created specifically out of the former council office space. The NCS focus is on maths, science and technology, and houses science laboratories and classrooms for 500 students. The project involved integrating high quality teaching spaces into the Grade II listed building. The project restored heritage features unique to the building including glazed terracotta wyverns, glazed tiles, and terrazzo flooring, blending historic spaces with engaging learning environments with purpose built benches and smart walls.
“Stunning Grade 2 listed buildings in East Ham with excellent resources and facilities to support outstanding A Level teaching and learning."
–Newham Collegiate Sixth Form College
Spacemaking buildings
Being precious with every m2 is a continual theme in our work, to protect future development opportunities. We like to think of this approach in terms of spacemaking buildings, giving opportunity to create outdoor rooms, and enhance the surrounding setting. This is evident at our work at Keble College, combining perimeter development, efficient planning, and the sculpting of ground levels to create addition floorplate.
Unlocking site potential
By understanding the historic building context at Mansfield College we were able to remove later additions, restore original features, and integrate modern catering provision and dining. Painstaking but essential combination of challenges helped to make the building suitable for modern use.
Sensitive implementation
We are continually working in operationally active sites and have gained support from our client’s in the way we the ensure safety and continuity of learning environments. We apply the following approaches:
–Early engagement.
–Pragmatic approach and facilities management ‘centred’.
–Considered logistics: enabling, phased development, safeguarding.
–Limiting disturbance through modern methods of construction, including CLT.
–Meeting timeframes, and seizing windows of opportunity.
Sustainable innovation
Low-energy strategies. At MICA we recognise the importance of a strong narrative with a robust parameters to underpin a project. Always on the premise that the setting is improved. We continually explore new technologies and materials to ensure the projects we design go beyond the limitations of today and offer lasting value: BIM Level 2 capable. Integrated and complementary systems, utilising site aspect and passive design knowledge.
Participation and dialogue
We are a friendly and collaborative team who enjoy working closely with clients, consultants and stakeholders. We balance the need to sometimes challenge the status-quo, whilst listening and heeding the feedback we recieve. We share our ideas and values which maintains openness and enables people to positively contribute to the process.
We have significant experience working with donors and fundraisers from a variety of public and private sources. We understand the process in securing funding and support for major capital projects. We know how to present and develop proposals which appeal to donors and are instrumental in bringing key funders into our project.