Coleshill Heath School

Lime Grove, Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Add To Collection

Other Projects by BCHN architects

Add To Collection

Fordbridge Community Primary School

Add To Collection

Lawley Village Primary Academy

Coleshill Heath School

Lime Grove, Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Firm

BCHN architects

Type

Educational › Elementary School Other

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2015

SIZE

3000 sqft - 5000 sqft

BUDGET

$5M - 10M

Coleshill Heath School, in Chelmsley Wood, North Solihull is a new 2.5 form entry Primary School (for 540 children) with a school nursery, a full day care centre and community provision. The school is organised into 3 distinct teaching phases, with classrooms arranged around shared activity hubs. As the new school replaced an existing 1960’s system build school the opportunity was taken to build a close relationship between the design team and the end users.

The client was Solihull MBC (along with the North Solihull Partnership). They were fully committed to a full engagement with both the school and the local community. This enabled the design team to work very closely with both client and users in formulating the brief and the building design. Throughout 2011 and 2012 design workshops and consultations were held with the various clients, users, parents, children and the wider community. The design of the school evolved through a very careful development of the design brief followed by user participation and public consultation.

The new school is in Chelmsley Wood, one of the 10% most deprived areas in England. The wider community is characterized by high levels of deprivation, unemployment and low aspirations. Solihull is generally thought of as a prosperous area, however north Solihull has major health and economic inequalities in relation to the south of the Borough - 17.2% of people in Chelmsley Wood live in overcrowded houses.

The school is intended to serve as a resource to the whole of the local community. The client vision was for ‘a creative and innovative school; that serves all of it’s children, families and local community.’ The school provides a community focus and a range of extended community facilities including adult learning. Provision is offered for babies and toddlers, along with a ‘wraparound’ out of school club. ‘Our school will be a community hub that enables all members of the community to engage in lifelong learning. The school is seen as a safe and supportive haven that will be instrumental in developing community cohesion.’ (Client Brief).

The teaching accommodation is arranged into three distinct phases. Phase 1 comprises nursery, reception and year 1 classes. Phase 2 is for years 2 and 3 while Phase 3 is for years 4, 5 and 6.

Between the teaching ‘pavilions’ are external teaching courts. Canopies and projecting roofs provide sheltered external areas around the edge of the building for outside teaching and play.

At the heart of the building is an enquiry hub. The school halls, the administration suite, the staff room and the teaching accommodation all connect back to this central area – which also serves as the main entrance foyer.

The building is single storey with low pitched roofs and overhanging eaves to provide shade to the extensively glazed classrooms. Constructed in masonry the building has high thermal mass to regulate internal temperatures, there is natural ventilation throughout

In brief, the environmental strategy is through fabric first and passive systems – natural light, high levels of insulation, natural ventilation along with solar shading through extended roofs and canopies.