Cottrell & Vermeulen Architecture seeks sensory stimulation in a new school dining hall in south London

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Anthony Coleman

Sited at the entrance of Streatham & Clapham High School, on a quiet street in suburban south London, a new dining hall designed by Cottrell & Vermeulen Architecture gives a new orientation to the school’s main building, and a fresh face for the institution. The project is the second major intervention at the independent girls’ school by the architect, following the 2016 addition of a new upper storey to the main 1930s block, which houses a sixth-form centre.

The dining hall develops the structural and material language developed in that first phase, which employed X-shaped engineered timber columns and a fluted fascia to the roof edge. In the dining hall, a cross-laminated timber roof is supported by a forest of tree-like columns, each featuring three branches that curve outwards from thick trunks. Chunky beams and window mullions are also in timber. Wooden pendant light fixtures are suspended between acoustic panels that hang from the ceiling and conceal mechanical ventilation equipment.

“The dining hall is full of light and texture, and its irregular layout creates a vibrant, social space for pupils to spend time together and relax”, says the architect.

Externally the single-storey extension has five concave facades, which are clad in a ventilated rainscreen of lustrous terracotta baguettes. The longest elevation, facing the street, has a recessed entrance porch, beyond which the reception desk is visible, faced in the same material. “The reception space reorientates the school’s site to the street creating a safe, visible presence for the school”, says the architect. New front-of-house facilities allow the separation of students and visitors, while a small internal court allows a more “appropriate” transition to the school via a small internal court.

Landscaping includes a green roof to the dining hall and planting outside, as well as the addition of new trees. These were selected to enhance biodiversity while giving sensory stimulation to pupils through colour, texture and seasonal variation. In both phases of work, says the architect, “the creation of innovative learning spaces and a compelling overall sensory experience are of immense benefit to current and future students”.

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