Description

The general layout of this secondary special school for children with complex learning difficulties relates to the site constraints with a railway cutting and city water main to the western boundary and a primary Romano-British cemetery to the south. The sloping site suggested a two-storey solution would be more efficient and cost effective than the traditional single-storey convention for this building type; that presented an unusual challenge for a school dealing with special needs. Special schools usually adopt a single-storey form for obvious accessibility and safety reasons. Here the compact planning has resulted in a much more integrated solution which is nevertheless negotiable and user friendly.

The new buildings run in a linear form along an existing narrow terrace with levels relating closely to the topography to minimise its environmental impact. The cross section is organised in three parts, a two-storey classroom block facing the playing fields, a central circulation spine which is a double-height volume along most of its length and a more solid rear block which acts as a shield to the railway line. A low key but clearly legible entrance brings the visitor directly into the main circulation spine. From the mid-level foyer, the layout of the whole building is apparent. A long top-lit ramp dominates the south end of the plan and leads to a double-height elliptical library at the centre; it breaks the linearity of the rest. Glass blocks bathe this space in diffuse light on even the dullest of days.

The hydrotherapy pool and main hall to the west can be accessed independently for community use. Classrooms on both levels connect directly onto the playing fields to the east. First floor classrooms open out onto a continuous balcony. Crucially this secondary means of escape allows the main circulation spine to be open and barrier free. The stairs, ramps and large central lift animate the interior and provide opportunities for life skills and mobility training. General teaching areas are paired and interconnected with sliding doors for flexible use. Hygiene and toilet facilities are dispersed along the access galleries for convenient and direct access.

This arrangement has eradicated bullying and graffiti which was commonplace in the former school building with its dark unsupervised corridors. Interior finishes are simple and robust with a limited palette of colours to allow the school community to take ownership with their own displays of colour and creativity. The building axis is orientated north to south and a deep ‘brise soleil’ to the east controls solar gain and glare; the central rooflight is glazed with high performance solar control glass with opening vents which are interlinked to glass louvers to the south and west façades providing controllable fresh air on the hottest days. The building envelope is externally insulated and employs the thermal mass of solid PFA block walls and a central concrete ramp core to modulate internal temperatures.

All classrooms are naturally cross-ventilated; large rectangular sunpipes provide stack ventilation and daylight to the rear of the ground floor classrooms. Elsewhere maximum use of natural daylight is utilised to achieve good lighting conditions and optimum energy conservation. The ecological theme is further emphasised with a new loft area (‘roost’) built in to provide a home for indigenous Piperstrelle bats.

---

Originally published in: Mark Dudek, Schools and Kindergartens: A Design Manual, Birkhäuser, 2015.