Watch our event with SIG Design & Technology exploring how education buildings can be designed and maintained to support long term estate strategies.

Designing education buildings has never been more challenging. Budgets are always tight and we are demanding ever more from our buildings. An Architecture Today webinar, supported by SIG Design & Technology, demonstrated that the most valuable thing that can go into an education building is a great deal of careful thought. Time spent before work starts is critical.

Analysing the problems
Stephen Smith, partner at Wright & Wright Architects, demonstrated how an almost forensic level of analysis can result in a solution that perhaps could not have been foreseen. He quoted the dictum: the greenest building is the one that already exists, and showed how, if a building is to become both more sustainable and more suitable for today’s requirements, then it is essential that the architect understands every last detail.

In association with

Buildings.

Webinar Participants

Stephen Smith
Partner at Wright & Wright Architects
Ian Dryden
SIG National Specification Manager
Michál Cohen
Director of Walters & Cohen Architects

Buildings.

Sectional perspective of the Architectural Association in London by Wright & Wright Architects

The project that demonstrated this most strongly was the masterplan of London’s Architectural Association, which Smith described as eking out space in a Georgian building. Between the Grade I setting of Bedford Square at the front, and the mews at the back, is a courtyard that proved key to unlocking the space. Also vital was the discovery, largely from examining drawings, that many elements that were thought to be original were in fact recent additions – and therefore could be altered.

Buildings.

Axonometric basement plan of the Architectural Association in London by Wright & Wright Architects

The first change was the creation of desperately needed prototyping and model-making workshops. The obvious place to put these was in the basement. Smith said, “It was nice to show a group of architects that engineering is actually the answer to space making by carving out the floor to create services at low level and preserve the quality of spaces that were already low volumes.”

Adopting a phased approach
A project for St John’s College Oxford showed, Smith said, the benefits of a phased approach in bringing the oldest parts of the college back into the heart of the complex.  “The scheme developed incrementally and through testing a three-phase approach: unlocking, then a new study centre, and finally development of the old part of the college,” he said. “What made all this possible were a series of seemingly mundane moves, such as threading a new passage through a disused store to address access and fire problems.”

Buildings.

Wright & Wright Architects’ Library & Study Centre at St John’s College, Oxford (ph: Hufton & Crow)

Rethinking maintenance
This sort of careful thinking is equally important when it comes to maintenance. Ian Dryden, National Specification Manager for SIG Design & Technology, talked about the benefits that come from planning. While his organisation was offering a service concerned solely with roofs, he said that other professionals could take a similar holistic approach to entire buildings, particularly when bidding to work for academy trusts that have large estates comprising several schools.

Buildings.

Roof inspection at Heathfield Academy in Croydon (ph: SIG)

The main problem with maintenance, Dryden said, is that when a school has a problem with a roof, they are generally very reactive. “They don’t want to close classrooms, so they rush to a local contractor for a short-term fix. This lack of planning is not only short-sighted – it can also lead to failure when bidding for funding.”

SIG advocates and practises a more considered approach. Dryden cited the case of Heathfield Academy Trust which has a sprawling school with a range of roofs. “It is a great example of how if we manage a building or trust estate, we can make the money go further, and save them money in the long term,” he said. “We can manage within the life-cycle of the building rather than play catch up for years of minimal investment by local authorities.”

Roof inspection at Heathfield Academy in Croydon (ph: SIG)

The ‘trick’ was a simple one. SIG surveyed all the roofs and then addressed those in most need of repair first, and planned for the other repairs. As a result, many roofs were repaired before they had deteriorated totally meaning, for example, that decks did not need to be replaced. The planning also meant that bids for funding could go in earlier, and so work could start sooner, not over-running the school holidays.

Buildings.

Classroom at St Paul’s School, London, by Walters & Cohen Architects (ph: Dennis Gilbert)

Planning and designing for change
At St Paul’s school in London, Walters & Cohen Architects also put a great deal of thought into the changes that the school needed. The school needed to replace a CLASP teaching block that had reached the end of its life and wanted new teaching buildings. “We developed the design through six months of consultation,” director Michál Cohen said.

The result is an L-shaped building that sorted out problems of circulation and level changes. The building is deep plan so the architect introduced atria that bring in daylight and developed the adjacent Founder’s Court into what Cohen described as ‘a series of outdoor rooms’.

Library at St Paul’s School, London, by Walters & Cohen Architects (ph: Dennis Gilbert)

The architect worked with Max Fordham and Partners to make it possible to ventilate naturally, and also introduced bio-diverse roofs. Every element was thought through carefully. For example, the library was placed on the first floor so that it could benefit from views of the River Thames. And, perhaps most impressive of all, throughout the build, only six temporary classrooms were needed.

We have all seen how education has been disrupted by the pandemic and how much that matters. So, in more normal times, change with minimal disruption is to be welcomed. These projects show that by planning ahead it is possible to get the best and most economic result – and to keep institutions and the vital process of education running smoothly.

Contact Details
Read SIG’s review of the event online and download its Cost Comparison Diagram here. For more information call 01509 505 714, email, or visit the SIG Design & Technology website.