Lathams’ new buildings at Ecclesbourne School in Derbyshire were designed to meet the demands of fast-rising student numbers, particularly into the Sixth Form.
The project was required to deliver a number of new classrooms along with new social space for Sixth Form activities within the restrictions of the limited space which was available on an already well-developed site.
The team identified a prominent site for a new Sixth Form centre, close to the entrance of the school. With the building set to command such a visually imposing position, a design was developed which not only fulfilled the school’s learning and social requirements, but also conveyed and embodied its vision for the future.
To the north, and facing the school’s main entrance, the single storey building is dominated by its curved and glazed exterior wall and sloping roof. This provides a bright, open and flexible main space within for both social and performance use, with classroom, seminar and office space radiating out from that central hub.
The exterior treatment, a combination of masonry and Prodema rainscreen cladding, was then carried through to the second building, a new maths block featuring six classrooms radiating from a high glazed corridor.
