Harrow SchoolsExpansion Programme
The London Borough of Harrow needed to extend several of its primary schools as part of a School Expansion Programme.
As well as creating more school places, significant refurbishment work was also required and so the council approached Willmott Dixon to assist them. Having worked collaboratively with Willmott Dixon on similar projects, and for our experience in modular school building, Lungfish Architects were brought in to help transform three schools; Grimsdyke Primary School, Welldon Park Infant School and Longfield Primary School.
Sector
Education
Services
Architecture
Status
Completed February 2017
Client
London Borough of Harrow
Location
Harrow, London
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Requirements
The pressing need to create more school places and improve the existing learning facilities called for a fast and efficient solution. The projects were procured through SCAPE and by working closely with Willmott Dixon, local councillors and each one of the three schools, we created a phased plan that provided the additional space and reflected all of the individual schools’ needs.
Welldon Park Infant School was to merge with the nearby Junior School and increase its annual intake from 30 pupils to 60 pupils, Grimsdyke was to become a threeform entry primary school and Longfield Primary was to grow to a four-form entry school, increasing it’s capacity to 120 pupil-places per year.
Our Solution
We began by working closely with the schools to understand movement flows around the existing buildings to inform the most appropriate design and layout for their needs. We then created flexible, low-carbon, cost-effective designs that tied the old buildings with the new, maximising teaching space, natural light and ventilation.
Welldon Park Infant School
Welldon Park Infant School needed new nursery and reception classrooms as well as group learning spaces and offices. The existing buildings were refurbished and were transformed from grey concrete buildings into a striking modern school.
Grimsdyke Primary School
Instead of a stand alone extension to accommodate the increase in pupil numbers, the design for Grimsdyke Primary complemented the existing architecture of the school. This approach resolved concerns from local residents as well as allowing for the removal of old, temporary teaching blocks and the addition of 12 new permanent classrooms.
Longfield Primary School
The largest of the three projects, Longfield Primary required new classrooms and nursery space that would accommodate an incremental increase of 120 pupils a year. With a challenging budget that wouldn’t allow for an extension in the existing London brick, we took an imaginative approach to the elevational treatment. The new modular block has contrasting cladding which is broken up by a large canopy for external play and boasts new nursery space, six new classrooms and a lift for disabled access to both floors. Part of the roof to the existing building was replaced with solar panels installed, reducing the school’s energy costs. We also created a large, new multi-use games area on the playing field.
Improved catering facilities at Longfield Primary School
Our design solutions ensured direct access between kitchens and dining halls
An exceptional outcome
Across the three sites more than 690 new school places have been created and the educational facilities have been improved for more than 2,126 pupils. We created larger office spaces for staff, medical inspection rooms, group working spaces and even moved the entrance for one of the schools to the new block as it was more fit for purpose than its predecessor.
As well as delivering brand new classrooms and refurbishing the original buildings, we also improved the internal environment of each school by providing new kitchen facilities and dining rooms. The schools’ catering teams no longer have a convoluted journey across the school site to deliver food to the pupils, that was at risk of going cold. Our design solutions ensured direct access between kitchens and dining halls, increasing the efficiency of the kitchen teams.
The extensions also now mean that food can be cooked fresh on the premises, not only improving the children’s wellbeing but also that of the staff who care for them.
