Focus: Schools
LOM’s Vaughan Primary School in Harrow shows how design can stimulate and motivate pupils.
Edited by Cathy Hayward
Words by Jo Sutherland
In loco parentis is a Latin term, derived from a legal doctrine that directly translates to ‘in the place of a parent’. It describes a relationship like that of a guardian to a child, where an individual or an organisation is bound by English common-law to care and protect the children within their or its care.
This dogma is particularly relevant for designers in charge of creating the spaces that serve as a physical foundation to a child’s schooling. Schools, colleges and universities must meet the core functional requirements of safety and comfort, but these educational institutes should also seek to stimulate and motivate the desire to learn. Design solutions in the sector, therefore, need to be practical, adaptable, inclusive and, most importantly, inspirational.
Artist’s impression of the Vaughan Primary School, Harrow, showing phases 1 and 2 and the original building
LOM, the award-winning architecture and interior design practice, is working with the Education Funding Agency (EFA) and Galliford Try to rebuild and expand Vaughan Primary School in Harrow by an additional form entry, to create more student places, following direction from Harrow Council. The project was originally part of the council’s Primary Expansion Programme and gained planning permission in 2013.
The school aims to provide a calming environment that pupils and teacher can enjoy
Vaughan was then selected by the Education Funding Agency, as part of the programme, and LOM reworked the scheme to suit the EFA’s requirements. This involved adapting the design, reducing cost and meeting its outline specification as closely as planning restrictions allowed. Work is taking place over two phases. Phase one, a new-build, two-storey block for juniors, is now complete. Phase two, the remodelling of the existing school to accommodate the infant school, is under construction.
The junior block’s sports hall is among the facilities provided in the new building
Simon Bird, director of LOM, explains how the design can transform the student experience: ‘Our work in the education sector includes school and borough masterplans, transformed campus facilities, new buildings, extensions and adaptations. We’ve worked with Harrow Council for close to a decade and, in that time, we’ve been fortunate enough to get feedback from an array of headteachers, with regard to how they believe the design impacts the students.
‘A key question we ask is “how important is the design when it comes to inspiring learning?… and the majority rate it as a 9/10 or 10/10. So, it’s important that architects or designers working in the sector understand that it’s not just about providing spaces that perform well, in terms of environment and acoustics, but the school also has to give children a sense of identity and community.’
The new Junior block, containing a reception, sports hall, classrooms, kitchen, library, studio and cafeteria, was given a distinct identity with a simple and robust palette of contrasting materials. Teaching spaces are expressed as fixed, formal white-rendered blocks, protected and defined at ground level with stack-bonded engineering bricks. Support facilities are linked to the teaching spaces and clad with cedar boards and a rhythm of window openings of various sizes and heights to suit the activities taking place.
Although somewhat constrained in planning principles, Bird and his team set out to achieve several things: ‘The key rationale underpinning the design was to give the school up-to-date, easily accessible, shared facilities, including a school hall, kitchen and catering area, library, studio spaces, along with an administration block. We wanted to position these 'more public' areas at the front of the school to improve security, surveillance and access. The classrooms and concentrative learning zones are on the quieter side of the premises – meaning there are less distractions for the children and teachers.
‘From the outset, we had to consider the management of noise and site traffic. In addition, we wanted to make the building legible for children and visitors. To that end, the teaching areas and major spaces for collaborative learning, such as classrooms and the main hall, take the form of big, white, solid boxes, which can be adapted in future to cater to any increase in intake, or change to teaching styles. The linking facilities, including corridors and peripheral offices, offer a slightly more dynamic element to the overall design scene. Now, all these interlocking spaces link up and together create an intuitive spatial journey. Circulation space, particularly within a primary school, is very important and needs to be understood if the design is to facilitate the flow of traffic.’
In Harrow, lots of developments came into fruition in the Thirties, and then a second wave in the Sixties. The design of these original institutions failed to consider the adaptable factor, as such utilitarian ground and floor plans, are fairly concrete in nature, so the physical environments of these eras don’t always facilitate modern ways of teaching. Nor do they place access at the heart of the blueprint. In addition, these outdated buildings aren’t the simplest to maintain.
Breakout teaching space at vHH’s George Carey Primary School for Barking and Dagenham
To cater to the needs of the present, while considering the needs of the future, LOM sought to create a robust, easily maintainable environment. One of the biggest challenges in this pursuit was maximising the budget in a way that would radically modernise the facility, in order to accommodate growing numbers of students and new ways of teaching. But thanks to LOM’s creative approach and to the open dialogue established between parties, the new spaces are bright, dynamic and the school environment fosters engagement and learning.
Phase two, namely the remodelling of the existing school to accommodate the infant school, has been implemented in a way that should avoid unnecessary disruption. The challenge has been to keep the school operational throughout and to create a juniors’ block that is appropriate to the scale of the site while retaining sufficient outside space for play, sports and parking. Bird explains: ‘What we try to do is create a clear line between the public and private areas. The play space and parking is separate from the teaching areas, which safeguards student movement.’
Participation and consultation is key to ensuring that educational buildings meet the needs of the wider community. The head teacher of Vaughan Primary School, Andrew Griffin, was keen to involve governors and teachers to feed into the design process. The LOM team, fully advocating that level of engagement, believe that getting that input at an early stage can help design a space that works for the people it was intended for – teachers, parents and children alike.
The level of sustainability injected into the design of the block achieved a BREAAM Very Good rating
Despite budget cuts and limited capital spending, many schools and colleges are in need of renewal. Rather than rebuilding, many development projects now rely on the creative reuse of existing spaces. Bird, recognising that sustainable buildings can be creative and cost effective as well as environmentally responsible, focused on environmental measures, such as natural ventilation and daylighting. The level of sustainability injected into the design of the block, which has achieved a BREAAM ‘Very Good’ sustainability rating, will ensure operational efficiency and long term value for money.
Griffin is delighted with the results: ‘The new building works fantastically for us, from safeguarding and flow around the school, to the colours, atmosphere and spaces created by LOM. The school provides us with a calm environment that the children and teachers really enjoy.
The impressive design continues to provide brilliant spaces for the school and the community, not only allowing us to maximise the learning potential for our children but also to support our community with an effective, stylish and practical space.’
