SCALA Civic Building of the Year Competition, 2007
Commended
Barking & Dagenham Council
John Perry Children’s Centre
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This scheme was built in two phases and comprises a 26-place FTE Nursery and a 50-place Children’s Centre with day care.
For the Nursery the head teacher encouraged the use of modern materials to make the building less like a domestic interior and more like a garden room in which to create. Finding shared inspiration in environments such as Barbara Hepworth’s studio, the architects and head teacher developed a brief for a ‘studio for children’ which provides the fourth wall to an existing courtyard. The striking 10m cantilever canopy provides a column-free covered external play- space. The design respects the existing school in scale and massing but challenges convention with the use of new materials such as Rodeca for the courtyard elevation for its light reflecting qualities.
The single space is entirely naturally lit and ventilated, has underfloor heating, with serviced areas enclosed by a continuous ‘landscape wall’ that runs the length of one side of the building. Clad in cork, this lyrical element provides a foil to the more precise external envelope of the building whilst providing valuable storage units and display space.
The Children’s Centre uses similar materials. The deep plan building has a courtyard at its heart, radiating light throughout the building, as well as providing a visual buffer between the public functions (parent/training/interview facilities) and the private, protected world for children beyond. Clerestory glazing throughout allows light to penetrate all rooms without compromising security or privacy.
Externally, each elevation has been designed to perform environmentally and to provide an appropriate response. The northern elevation, closest to the main site entrance, combines masonry and render beside a sloped landscape that creates a foreshortened or extended perspective to animate the journey to and from the building. To the south, an expanse of glazing and polycarbonate is marshalled by the ordering principle of two portal frames that contain the many openings required to access the external play areas and stores, whilst shading the interiors to minimise solar gain. Once mature, the gardens will be enclosed by high hedges and greenery to veil the views of fencing and the playing field beyond.
- Architect:
- DSDHA
- Quantity Surveyor:
- Stockdales
- Structural Engineer:
- Price & Myers
- Mechanical and Electrical Engineer:
- Pearce & Associates
- Main Contractor:
- Lakehouse Contracts
