Four Dwellings Primary School | dRMM Architects

The original Four Dwellings school was notable for hands-on, project-based education, in spite of its highly cellular, out-dated post-war accommodation. The rebuild enabled the senior leadership team to develop a design that supported personalised, kinaesthetic learning. We worked closely the senior leadership team to manifest the school’s pedagogical approach with a build form that would provide the maximum variety of learning spaces, inside and out, whilst ensuring that classroom sizes were not compromised. The team was steadfast in ensuring that the focus on learning was maintained throughout the project, from planning concept, down to the selection of colourways and furniture. The local authority placed high value on the potential for schools to bring wider benefits: as a resource, as point of pride, and as year-round asset, to address worklessness and foster community cohesion. The objectives were to be transformational by design, innovative, high quality, fully integrated, sustainable and consistent. The existing site comprised both a 2 form of entry Primary School and a 5 form of entry Secondary School, on a single suburban site. The BSF and Primary Capital Programme, as well as the desire to maximize use of available capital expenditure, reduce future running costs, and extract the most use out of the limited land, brought the opportunity for a joined-up approach to masterplanning the site.   PAIRED YEAR GROUPS PINWHEEL AROUND A CENTRAL HALL, PROVIDING DIRECT ACCESS FOR PARENTS TO ENGAGE WITH THE SCHOOL AND GIVING EACH YEAR GROUP AGE-APPROPRIATE EXTERNAL PLAY SPACE. • Efficient, compact form with paired year groups from Reception through to Year 4 at ground, and Years 5&6 progressing to the first floor. • Circulation allowances consolidated to produce social learning spaces between classrooms and the central Hall. • Each classroom has a different quality and age-specific outdoor space, engendering sense of progression and transition from year to year. • External wc pods, with tiling developed through student participation. • High level of attention to detail, from concept, detail, material specification, colourways and furniture. • Involvement of staff and students at all steps resulting in a building which suits the needs of the local community. Has exceeded community expectations, with new build now a point of local pride. • Exceptional attention to build quality is function of excellent site working relationships between design team and contractor. • Timber frame construction, cedar cladding and recycled aggregate blocks contribute to environmental performance.