Bedales

The Orchard Building: an elegant addition to the beautiful Bedales campus

In March 2003 Walters & Cohen won a competition to design new teaching and administration buildings at Bedales, an independent boarding school set in 110 acres of Hampshire countryside and renowned for its excellence in music and the arts.

The school has a strong and distinguished architectural heritage, including the Grade I Arts and Crafts library designed by Ernest Gimson, and is sited within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). We are very proud to have been selected to contribute to this sensitive setting.

Working with the school’s ethos, we designed an elegant, three-storey timber building that complements its rural surroundings and conforms to the highest environmental standards. The Orchard Building provides administration offices and generous teaching spaces, but also makes excellent use of the circulation areas: the double-height reception space can host many activities, while desks and sofas on the first floor promote informal study and social interaction, creating an inspiring and thriving academic environment.

The project was completed on time and under budget, and received an RIBA Award in 2006. In 2022 it was a finalist in the Architecture Today Awards, which celebrate buildings that stand the test of time.

You can read an article about the project in the AJ here.

Awards

2006RIBA Awards

2006East Hampshire District Council Conservation and Design Awards – shortlisted

2022Architecture Today Awards: Education – finalist

Details

ClientBedales

Total value£5.3m

Area3,900 m2

CompletionAug 2005

QSFanshawe

ContractorR Durtnell & Sons

Structural engineerAdams Kara Taylor

Building ServicesMax Fordham LLP

LandscapeEdward Hutchison Landscape Architects