New City Learning Centre, Highbury Grove School, London

"The building, which is adjacent to the main school, was completed in a tight timescale and was erected very quickly over half term, which was a big advantage in helping us to minimise any disruption to the running of the school."


The Requirement

Highbury Grove School had a requirement for a new City Learning Centre, giving students the opportunity to use the latest information technology.

As the school is located on the edge of a conservation area, a number of special design considerations applied, such as brickwork cladding and a low profiled steel roof, to minimise the impact of the new building on the surrounding urban landscape.

The Solution

Designed and built by Yorkon, the new two storey centre accommodates two large open plan IT suites, each with 32 workstations arranged in clusters. The advanced technology includes a video conferencing facility, media editing suite and interactive white boards.

Other design features reflect the high tech nature of the building and include full height glazing in bronze tinted glass, bright blue and contrasting cream rainscreen cladding, and yellow entrance doors to the external façades. The centre also accommodates offices and a reception.

The innovative modular building method significantly reduced time on site, ensured noise levels were minimised and, importantly, significantly less disruption to teaching.

Comments from the Client

Truda White, Headteacher, Highbury Grove School:

"The children like using the new centre very much. The building, which is adjacent to the main school, was completed in a tight timescale and was erected very quickly over half term, which was a big advantage in helping us to minimise any disruption to the running of the school."