Jonathan Hendry Architects has sensitively reworked an important community hub in rural Lincolnshire.

Photos
Jonathan Hendry Architects

Jonathan Hendry Architects has refurbished and extended Cross School, a former Victorian school and community centre in Deeping St James, Lincolnshire. Forming part of a multi-phase redevelopment and restoration plan, the project includes a new entrance, four studios for rent, and a community garden/outdoor play area.

Set within a conservation area, the site is predominantly surrounded by two-storey residential buildings with some retail/commercial use. Constructed from limestone and brick, the existing hall has been extended and altered over the years to meet contemporary needs. Located against the boundary wall, the new single-storey studio block is constructed from timber and brick with a standing seam zinc roof. The latter projects out over the front elevation, forming a semi-covered external space. Clay quarry tiles running from inside to outside, further delineate this transitional zone. The front elevation is clad in vertically-laid oak boards with matching oak doors and windows.

An existing single-storey extension to the hall has been removed – to create a fire escape – and replaced with a soft-planted garden, circular timber bench, and entrance pathway. The existing lean-to entrance extension has also be removed and replaced with a pitched roofed entrance, whose form reflects the gable of the existing hall. A large gable window provides views onto the communal garden.

The new entrance provides a much needed arrival space that is both light-filled and disability compliant. It also facilitates access to all parts of the building without the need for interconnecting rooms. The entrance is set back and finished in the same timber as the studio building, with a single column acting as a bookend at the front of the building.

Timber-frame construction utilising JJI-joists was favoured for the new buildings as a cost-effective means of achieving long spans and deep wall and roof voids. Paramount Structures undertook the detailed design of the timber superstructure, including the slim cantilevered canopy, which extends the full length of the front elevation. With a 1.8-metre cantilever span and an allowable structural depth of only 150mm, this element required bespoke, in-depth analysis of the cantilever members and the connections between the timber outriggers and I-joist rafters forming the primary roof structure. Limitations in structural depth also required the lintels along the front elevation to be incorporated into the roof depth. In order to maintain continuity of the cantilever members, a bespoke solution was developed with recessed RHS sections and cantilevered plates to support the roof deck.

The project employs a range of active and passive environmental technologies. Sheep’s wool has been used to insulate the external walls and roof. Internally, the timber stud walls have also been filled with sheep’s wool for acoustic reasons and lined with plywood. All the studio spaces have an opening stable door and a rooflight or window to facilitate cross ventilation, while an air source heat pump is linked to the district heating system.

Additional Images

Credits