Kilmarnock Academy buildings - technology extension

The Technology Extension

1996-7 the Old Academy was refurbished, restructuring its
classrooms to enable the Art, Modern Language, Learning
Support and Social Sciences Departments to use it. In addit-
ion several rooms within the New Building were equipped as
Science laboratories and the old bicycle sheds were infilled
and became administration offices. The flagship of the refurb-
ishment, however, was the erection of a large extension to
house some of the departments most affected by new techn-
ologies. At a cost of £0.5 million, the Technology Extension
was added to the New Building , and was opened in 1997.

The ground floor contains Music classrooms, including two
individual tutorial rooms which allow pupils to practise their
instruments. The first floor has a further Music classroom for
electronic keyboards and a Business Studies classroom.
This latter department has also an additional two classrooms
on the second floor. The third floor has two classrooms for
Computing Studies. The classrooms are spacious and are
custom-built for the use of computers and other electronic
technologies.

At the time of opening, it gave Kilmarnock Academy the finest suite of rooms for such equipment in Ayr Division of Strathclyde Region.

The projected closure of the Old Tech meant that there would be a shortage of classrooms in some subjects. The opportunity was taken to rethink the provision of classrooms throughout the whole of Kilmarnock Academy . During

The design of the Technology Extension was undertaken by Holmes Partnership, Glasgow, who had received a fairly detailed brief including floor plans from the Strathclyde Regional Council Department of Architecture and Related Services. Holmes Partnership worked this into the final scheme, in particular designing elevations for the new-build sections of the work—the administration offices in the New Building and the Technology Extension. The architect most critical to the project was Charles Strong BArch FRIAS RIBA of Holmes Partnership. The exterior design was to some extent dictated by the appearance of the 1960s New Building which it abuts, but the bold curve of the roof allows the Technology Extension to spring from the older building in a bold, vigorous manner. It symbolises the school's forward movement into a changing future.