Client: Ravensbourne College
Type of works: supply of 367 doorsets

Ravensbourne is a world-class university sector college innovating in digital media and design and their stunning new building is located opposite The O2 at Greenwich Peninsula.

The highly original design, by Foreign Office Architects and DEGW, has produced a structure which encourages collaboration between the different disciplines within the college; there are open spaces and quiet corners, social spaces, technology hubs, design studios and production suites.

367 doorsets from Leaderflush Shapland’s Designer and Extended Performance ranges were specified for Ravensbourne. Extended Performance Vulcan range door sets were specified to achieve prolonged fire resistance levels of up to 120 minutes and also Extended Performance Acoustic Audiodor door sets to achieve sound reduction levels of 44RwdB, which were purpose built for the Ravensbourne’s digital post-production and surround-sound sites.

Proving that sustainability is no barrier to design excellence, green technologies have been built into the fabric of the building which has used environmentally friendly construction materials such as FSC timber and re-used aggregates.

Along with a green roof, solar hot water and a biomass boiler, EnduraCor, Leaderflush Shapland’s exclusive engineered performance core, helped contribute to the Ravensbourne achieving a BREEAM Excellent status.

EnduraCor, whose durability and stability make it especially suitable for harsh environments like schools and colleges, is manufactured using mainly man-made materials or materials which are either FSC or verified, legal and sustainable. This highly cost-effective solution could significantly reduce ‘whole life’ repair and maintenance costs, which is an ongoing concern in school buildings. Ultimately, it may never have to be replaced.