Following Jestico + Whiles’ RIBA award-winning refurbishment of Stoke Newington School in 2010 as part of Hackney’s Building Schools for the Future programme, the school approached the same design team in 2011 to design and build a new sixth-form centre.
The 2010 work involved the wholescale refurbishment and extension of the 1960s Brutalist building, which now provides modern, flexible learning spaces with a strong emphasis on design quality, innovation and sustainability. This same ethos was adopted in the development of the sixth-form.
The new extension responds to the school’s existing architecture. The available space between the new and existing building is maximised, forming a courtyard similar to those in the Brutalist building design. In addition, the orthogonal-shaped volume creates a new wing in keeping with the original plan form. Massing and materiality are carefully considered so that the three elements: the new extension, 2010 addition and the original 1967 building are read coherently alongside one another, respecting the architectural language of the 2010 addition and the Brutalist masonry.
The exceptional consideration used to design an extension which respects and complements existing structures and which answers the needs of the client in a refreshing approach, whilst intelligently using the tight site, is an achievement which the client is thrilled with.
The scheme displays an intuitive use of space with an eye-catching aesthetic, and the way in which it contributes to the success of the sixth-form and the school’s aim of achieving excellence for all students is a testament to the design.
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