Stepney Green School | Studio Woodroffe Papa

This project embraces the opportunity offered by the BSF programme to achieve transformational change for Stepney Green School. The proposal enables the school to provide a dynamic educational environment, to reengage with the local community and to create a new welcoming identity for the school. The existing school site is dominated by an eight storey tower that provides generous teaching spaces, the rest of the school buildings
are poor quality single storey structures.

S333 developed a demolition and phasing strategy for the restricted site which provides contemporary teaching facilities, reinvigorates the existing buildings and minimises the impact of the eight storey tower from the street. The existing robust organisational structure of the school buildings is reinforced by the proposed school masterplan that also identifies plots for future school expansion.

By locating the two new buildings, a new teaching building and a gymnasium, at key points on the site boundary the scheme activates the surrounding streets. By locating both buildings directly on the street and providing generous glazing from the activity studio and classrooms the scheme brings activity to the surrounding streets and to Trafalgar Gardens an adjacent community park.

The new teaching block has at its heart a broad open stair which can also be used as a tribune. This forms a vibrant communal space that is complimented by break out spaces at each floor, enabling individual and small group work.

Diversifying the possible learning strategies and approaches. The school Gym has been designed to be accessible to the local community and to support the school’s sporting success. It provides a Sports England compliant 4-court gym, activity studio and multigym, it has the exciting addition of a rooftop sports pitch.

Both buildings use diagonal views to create strong visual connections across the school campus and to emphasis the extent of improvements and the school’s ICT specialism. Landscape has been a priority for the school throughout the consultation process, the canopy performs a number of important tasks: from uniting the new and old buildings, to reinvigorating the visually dilapidated library and dining block and providing new opportunities for delivering the curriculum outside.

The sensitive setting with adjacent conservation area is complimented by a contemporary architectural approach that mediates between the surrounding context and reduces the negative impact of existing austere school environment. Long sections of the existing green landscape boundary are retained; this treatment is extended around the entire site with evergreen planting creating an ecological corridor linking the park with the churchyard.