SCALA Civic Building of the Year Competition, 2004

Commended

London Borough of Lambeth: London Jubilee Primary School

This new £4.5 million, 420 place community primary school, nursery and ‘Surestart’ facility is in the middle of Tulse Hill council Estate, Brixton and amalgamated three existing schools.

It incorporates a Special Educational Needs facility for hearing impaired pupils and will become a centre of excellence for the teaching of the hearing impaired.

The project was part of a Lambeth initiative for four primary school developments which aims to re-examine and re-define the conventional usage and perceptions of schools and their facilities, particularly in terms of flexibility.

The closure of existing schools was a sensitive issue for the local community. The project involved extensive consultations between many and varied stakeholder groups. This included Lambeth Council, the school temporary governing body steering group, staff and pupils of the existing schools and the local community.

The consultation process was continued throughout the whole building process allowing a forum for relevant groups to be informed of progress and input comments. Lambeth Council produced a website, updated on a monthly basis, to track the progress of the project on site.

The main contractor undertook regular site tours for the school children and the local community providing an immediate way to experience the building process. The name of the school, Jubilee Primary School, was selected by the staff, children and local community to celebrate the opening of the new school in the Queen’s golden jubilee year (2002).

Architect: Alford Hall Monagham Morris
Quantity Surveyor: Cook and Butler
Structural Engineer: Elliot Wood Partnership
Main Contractor: Ballast Wiltshire