Empathise and engage

If there’s one thing we’ve learned makes better buildings, it’s empathy. Architecture never happens in isolation—and simply by being interested and engaged, we’ve found it’s possible to open up the conversations that connect a scheme to its clients and community.

Weconstraints

We believe that the more constraints there are, the better the architecture. If there aren’t any constraints, we create them. Challenging sites, existing buildings and complex briefs almost always present incredible opportunities for great design.

Passive future

To limit our environmental impact, we start with what is already there. By manipulating the form and fabric of a building—whether new or existing—we can work with the existing conditions of topography, light and orientation, and harness the natural energy sources offered by air, ground and water.

Social detail

If a site’s constraints guide the bigger design decisions, then it’s empathy that informs the smaller, social details. These details frame the human narratives that aren’t included in the brief, anticipating specific moments in the users’ lives.

Mud on our boots

Good architecture is as much about what happens on the building site as it is about what’s on the drawing board. By working alongside contractors as well as clients we can ring-fence the ideas and details that matter, championing quality and sustainability throughout construction.

Pavilion Study Centre PRU
WorkStudioActivityNewsContact
Curl la Tourelle Head
Work
  • Barnet, London

  • People Referral Unit

Client
  • London Borough of Barnet

Awards
  • Education Estates Awards 2024 - Pupil/Student Experience Award, Finalist

The Pavilion Study Centre, Barnet is a new build 73 place pupil referral unit (PRU) in the London Borough of Barnet. The school is designed to the DFE Output Specification and the spatial requirements are in accordance with secondary AP (behavioural) to BB104, with specified exceptions as required by the school.

In addition to longer term pupil placements, the school also includes two respite classrooms and intervention spaces, separated from the remainder of the class bases to provide privacy.
The accommodation is organised around a central courtyard for flexible dining and learning resource, designed to make the building easy to circulate through and increase passive supervision. Class bases for group sizes of 8 pupils open from the main circulation around the courtyard, with passive supervision through glazed screens and semi open break-out learning resource areas. Specialist teaching spaces also include direct access to external spaces for outdoor learning opportunities. The sports hall, changing facilities and MUGA are designed for out of hours community use and are consequently separable from the main school use through access control. Located within a residential context brought a high number of site constraints, with local opposition to large scale development on the site. Consultation was key in receiving unanimous planning approval.

Key sustainable elements including rooftop PV array, high thermal performance building fabric, natural ventilation with heat recycling systems to the teaching spaces, large openable rooflights for natural ventilation and daylighting, micro CHP unit and sustainable drainage systems for surface water. Site constraints also required part use of the existing site for the new accommodation. A phased construction programme was developed which required a high level of engagement with stakeholders, including Sports England, the local council, community users of the sports field, England Cricket Board, the DfE and local residents.

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