Windmill School

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Windmill School

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Work

Windmill School
Barnet, London

Client

Morgan Sindall Group
London Borough Barnet

Photography provided by Morgan Sindall Group

Refurbishment of an existing office building to provide an all-through school for a 90 Place Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) School for ages 5-18. The brief was developed through discussions with The Barnet Special Education Trust and the Department for Education (DfE).

The proposal retains the existing concrete frame of the three-storey office block, thus significantly reducing the embodied carbon of the new building. Finished works include primary and secondary general user spaces, science space, food tech suites, sensory rooms, fully functioning kitchen, multi-use hall and a rooftop play area.

As part of the retrofitting work being completed, natural ventilation with Heat Recycling (NVHR) system has been installed, with 110sqm of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on the roof. The project is to BIM level 2 (ISO 19650) standards, the use of BIMLevel 2 reduced both design and installation inefficiencies, saving time and money whilst also driving down embodied carbon through the retention of 90% of the existing primary structure.

CLTH have engaged with the design team and client throughout the project as well as the Contractor’s supply chain early in pre-construction, with an emphasis on added value, improved buildability and thus cost efficiencies.