Becket Keys C of E School is a free school established in Brentwood, Essex in 2012. It was the first Church of England secondary school to be opened as part of the free schools programme. The school is sponsored by the Russell Education Trust.

In 2016 it was decided to create a new three-storey teaching block. This would incorporate 16 classrooms and two shared community spaces, along with a Sixth Form Centre, a chapel and a new student entrance. We were appointed to carry out the acoustic design of the building which is now known as the Welby Building.

The building is a distinctive lightweight structure designed by Innes Associates utilising a close panel timber frame system. Our brief was to meet or exceed the BB93 performance standard for the acoustic design of schools. We worked closely with the architects as well as the contractor Logan Construction to incorporate necessary acoustic features.

Client : Educational and Skills Funding Agency on behalf of the Russell Education Trust
Architect : Innes Associates
Contractor : Logan Construction
Contract value : £3.25m

Photos credit: Peter Durant / Image credit: Innes Associates / Drawings: AJA