Devonshire Primary School

State-of-the-art school on a restricted site.

We adapted our multi-level vertical exemplar school design to create the ‘Beehive’ — a ground-breaking building with pod-style classrooms and multi-use games area.

The design is built around user needs and natural daylight: classrooms face north — ensuring good day lighting without overheating — and play decks face south, with shelter providing protection from the sun.

We utilised an internal street to divide the ground floor into four functional quadrants: staff/admin, nursery/reception, community/multi-use facilities and the main hall/dining areas.

The roof of the main hall is a landscaped garden, while teacher accommodation sits at upper levels at either side of the central circulation node and can be accessed off the semi-external play decks.

Brief

  • build a modern school on a tight urban site

Results

  • cutting-edge teaching environment
  • full utilisation of a tight urban plot
  • award: RIBA Award 2007

Facts

Location: Blackpool, UK
Client: Blackpool MBC
Construction cost: £6.5m
Completed: 2006
Awards: 1

Integrated services

architecture, environmental engineering, structural engineering, landscape architecture, lighting, acoustics

Links to images