School 21

We reinvented every space of this tired old office to provide the new free school with a strong identity and flexible spaces in which to grow.

School 21 is a free school that was procured through the academy’s framework. The project created a new educational campus by utilising the concrete frame of a disused office.

New learning spaces have been created by covering the existing courtyards, providing a variety of different spaces in which to teach. Our innovative retrofit approach delivers more space and better value for money than any affordable alternative. The school is organised in a pinwheel form, with smaller buildings for the lower school, which increase in scale at each educational stage, culminating in the central tower for the Sixth Form.

Reusing the existing concrete frame saves over 60 years in carbon (compared to a low-carbon new build). The heavy thermal mass slows down the building’s increase and decrease of heat, therefore reducing the overall energy load.

Awards

2014 Shortlist - AJ Retrofit Awards, Schools Award

#F6ED24 sq.jpg — Project Data:

**Client:** Leadbitter
**location:** Stratford
**Area:** 9800m²
**Budget:** £14M
**Completion:**
Phase 1 Oct 2013
Final Completion March 2014
**Scope:** 0-7
**BREEAM:** Very Good