SCALA Civic Building of the Year Competition, 2005

Commended

London Borough of Lambeth
Lilian Baylis School

This is a flagship, £15 million, 600-place Technology School in Kennington Lane, Vauxhall.

The surrounding context includes the new stands of the Oval Cricket Ground, the iconic gasholders, mid-rise South London tenements and new steel and glass office buildings. The materials for the new school buildings are sympathetic to the local conservation area, so the exteriors of the three main buildings are linked by the use of a multi-colour stock brick, storey-high plinth. This provides continuity with other buildings in the vicinity, and affords a robust external finish at ground level. Above the plinth the elevations are glazed, clad in rain-screen terracotta or rendered.

The entrance is expressed as a 3-storey glazed slot between the main teaching block and the stair drum, with the atrium roof oversailing. The school buildings are set back from Kennington Lane to provide generous public realm with trees and benches.

The two teaching blocks and entry are visually connected by means of atria, which provides light to the circulation routes and open Flexible Learning Spaces. There is a separate suite for community facilities at ground floor level - used as a Special Educational Needs, Life Skills Centre.

Architect:Ellis Williams Architects
Quantity Surveyor:E C Harris
Structural Engineer:Connell Mott MacDonald
Main Contractor:Bovis Lend Lease