Studio designed for King Alfred School
To encourage and develop health and fitness the school required a studio for use by the upper school pupils, the space also needed to offer flexibility for a broad range of other events and activities and be constructed to the constraints of a fixed budget. An old boatshed in an underused area of the school site offered the best location, as the boatshed could be easily re-located and no trees would be affected.
The new building is designed, to be both individual and to sit alongside the collection of existing school buildings, with a distinctive exterior clad in vertical larch battens. The cladding to the façade conceals the natural ventilation system, which allows air to flow throughout the building. Full height glazing with large sliding doors is to the front elevation only to maintain privacy, a series of roof lights provide additional natural light.
The three phase construction programme was planned around the school holidays to minimise disruption: foundations during the Easter break, floor slab and retaining wall during half term and main building during the long summer break. Currently the internal fit out is underway. As site access is restricted, a lightweight timber framed construction offered the perfect practical solution with the added cost benefits. An additional advantage of this method is the studio was constructed by the school's contractor, a team of two craftsmen.
October 2009