ABSTRACT
The original problem facing the architects was how to introduce some order into an unplanned sprawling collection of buildings spread across the site. To address this issue, they adopted a ‘collage approach’ superimposing new buildings onto the existing fragmented plans, retaining some and demolishing those which were not worth saving. The masterstroke was the imposition of a large-scale geometry across the site in the form of a circle and a long thin line of new accommodation. The three stages of the redevelopment are illustrated in the diagram. The circle is invaded by the arrow-headed form of a new media centre, which becomes the physical and symbolic heart of the school. An exploded perspective – existing buildings are knitted into the new rotunda to make the whole campus appear more inteagrated. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780080499291/f70b01ec-99da-4e86-a882-bbb9f643b2de/content/figcs16_3_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> The media centre/library with entrance marked out by the eccentrically pointed roof. Note the subtle interplay between the structural frame and the envelope of the building to create shading in the right places. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780080499291/f70b01ec-99da-4e86-a882-bbb9f643b2de/content/figcs16_4a_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> (Photo: © Nick Merrick, Hedrich Blessing Photographers.) The interior is lit by a diverse range of natural lighting sources, from high level horizontal clerestory windows to the vertical ‘slot' above the entrance doors and low-level courtyard windows to provide relaxing views for the users. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780080499291/f70b01ec-99da-4e86-a882-bbb9f643b2de/content/figcs16_4b_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> (Photo: © Nick Merrick, Hedrich Blessing Photographers.) The interplay between solid and void is a key architectural theme. Here the threshold between the sports centre and media piazza is identified by the curving wall of the rotunda articulated as a frame which maintains the enclosure without having any functional use. A limited range of brickwork is mixed to further enhance the planar integration. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780080499291/f70b01ec-99da-4e86-a882-bbb9f643b2de/content/figcs16_5_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> (Photo: © Nick Merrick, Hedrich Blessing Photographers.)
The centre houses the library, dedicated computer classrooms, and a radio/television laboratory. The enclosed courtyard becomes the new social centre of the campus, being used throughout the year. The new buildings embrace an existing auditorium and science building on the site, connecting both, and creating ‘in-between’ spaces for informal meetings and social events. An architecture of concrete frame and crisp metal roofing acts as a foil to the monumental aesthetic of brick columns and piers. The construction is a modifier of the hot summer sun; similarly the covered walkways allow sun penetration whilst affording some shading to the classrooms.
