King Edward VI College – Creative Arts & Digital Media Centre, Nuneaton

Perched on the first floor of the Ropewalk Shopping Centre, this 1000 m² fit-out transformed redundant office space into a fully-functioning education hub for King Edward VI College—complete with music studios, photography suites and an e-sports arena—just in time for the September term. The location never closed to the public, so every activity had to dovetail with centre operations, fire routes and noise restrictions.

Facing a ten-week window from concept sign-off to handover, our team fast-tracked design, procurement and build in parallel. Early contractor-involvement workshops locked down M&E coordination and acoustic performance targets within the first week, allowing us to release long-lead items immediately.

Key works

• Full strip-out & enabling of legacy services and CAT A finishes

• HVAC overhaul: new VRF systems, heat-recovery ventilation and roof penetrations coordinated with centre management

• Specialist acoustic glazing & partitions delivering STC 55 between music studios and teaching areas

• BM Trada fire-rated door sets, integrated access-control & new data backbone for 10 Gbps connectivity

• Relocation of a sensitive sound-booth from the main college campus, completed out-of-hours to avoid term-time disruption

• Finishes: durable vinyl & carpet-tile flooring, LED lighting to 500 lux, and a bold decorative scheme aligned with the college’s brand

Outcome

We achieved sectional completion two days ahead of programme, enabling staff to commission equipment and rehearse before students arrived. Independent acoustic tests surpassed the brief by 3 dB, and post-occupancy surveys report 96 % user satisfaction. Impressed by the pace and quality of delivery, the client has already engaged us on a follow-on project for its main campus—proof that Thornwood can design, build and deliver under pressure, anywhere in the UK.

​

​