Case Study
Netley Primary Campus, Camden

Pollard Thomas Edwards (PTEa) devised a completely self-funding masterplan for the transformation of the Netley Primary Campus, near Euston Station, through the development of new homes above a new educational building and on an adjoining council-owned site.

Piecemeal development had previously rendered the Netley Campus disjointed and disorientating, with visitors and users having to navigate their way through or around a mainstream Victorian primary school, a separate Foundation Unit from the Seventies, an ASD unit, a Community Learning Centre, and a Primary Pupil Referral Unit.

Some of the buildings were no longer fit for purpose. 'The existing layout was dire,' says PTEa partner Dominique Oliver. PTEa's solution was to put a new building at the front of the site, which houses the Foundation Unit and the ancillary educational facilities. This connects to the original Victorian building, which continues to house the junior school.

The new building provides a single reception area for the whole campus. It runs directly through the building to the playground beyond and provides access to the refurbished old school building. The school halls are located on the first floor of the new building and are accessed via the main lobby - making it easy for the local community to access these spaces outside school hours.

The new building attaches to residential apartments that use the same red-brick cladding, with large windows that echo the generous windows throughout the school. Interior finishes include wood panelling to enhance both the school and community-user experience and provide excellent acoustics.

Client: London Borough of Camden
Architect: PTEa
Completed: 2014