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Improving connectivity using exceptional doors from Shadbolt
Project: Campus Central at the University of Stirling
Design: Page\Park Architects
We worked with Page\Park Architects to meet their task of creating a warm welcome and enhanced connectivity within Campus Central that was in keeping with the building's natural surroundings.
A landmark redevelopment, completed in late 2021, transformed Campus Central at the heart of the University of Stirling. The £21.7m project made way for a new three-storey building, adding 3000sqm and doubling the original space, which serves as a multi-use environment for studying, learning, research, retail, and catering.
Sitting within 330-acres, the University of Stirling is one of the most scenic campuses in the UK, with its loch and abundant green spaces.
An environment full of light and activity
Key to the architectural approach was improving connectivity across Campus Central. The design would encourage collaboration and engagement among the teaching staff, students and the wider community.
Page\Park Architects looked to open the space by "improving ventilation, daylight, and maximising views". They were keen to usher in "legibility in way-finding and beauty and sensory delight" – and the provision of high-performance architectural timber doors would play a vital role.
We worked collaboratively with Page\Park to supply doors that matched performance with design.
A 5th generation family-owned company specialising in timber doors, we are uniquely placed to cut through the overcrowded door market and meet the challenge of honouring function and style.
A harmonious partnership with Page\Park Architects
Over several meetings at Page\Park's office, we were delighted to introduce and demonstrate our comprehensive collection of door designs, from the exceptional range of sizes available, including storey-height doors, to the mechanical performance, such as acoustic, durability and security.
We understand the importance of seeing and trying doors within their intended location, so we provided sample doors from our collection as a service. And to take the weight off the particular demands of door specifications for education settings, we advised on the latest Fire Safety Requirements and Building Regulations for the client’s peace of mind.
As a result of this collaborative specification process, 70 sets of doors and frames now sit seamlessly within the university's light-filled Campus Central, matching the tectonic language of the new build and its legacy of late Modernist ideals. The white and coloured laminate doors, juxtaposed with Canadian Maple wood frames, work in harmony with the building's natural outlook and furnishings.
To answer Page\Park's ambition for greater social cohesion in the space, our doors feature large glazed panels to encourage a sense of life and activity while offering an extra layer of safety for staff and students.
"Coming here at midday on the first day it opened and seeing it full of students with everyone saying "it looks like it's always been here" - that is a testimony to the design and build, and the way it's fitted together."
— Leigh Sparks, Deputy Principal for Education of Students & Professor of Retail Studies
A tribute to nature at Stirling University
We were pleased to assist Page\Park throughout the process and deliver our unique sense of purposeful design to the iconic new space. Our doors complement the campus's welcoming focal point of vertical timber fins, spaced to create a concertina effect. They also work seamlessly with the building's nod to its lush setting, with views across Airthrey Loch and the Ochil Hills beyond.
Shadbolt Door Specification for Campus Central
Manufacture and supply of bespoke FSC® certified Soft White and Possum Formica laminated FD60 fire-resistant glazed doors with clear finished exposed Canadian maple hardwood lippings and Canadian maple hardwood framesets; high performance (35db and 40dB) sound attenuating Canadian maple veneered fire-resisting door assemblies were also supplied.
Photos by: Paul Zanre
