We’re enjoying working with Godolphin & Latymer once again, more than a decade after our initial masterplan.
At the centre of the site sits a two-storey building with charming cloisters on the ground floor, but piecemeal development has resulted in spaces and elevations of differing qualities and poor connections with the buildings around it. We have proposed a three-storey refurbishment that solves several problems in one fell swoop:
- dining, which was too small, extends the length of the ground floor, with folding doors opening onto a landscaped courtyard
- the library is on the first floor, with a mezzanine of book nooks on the second floor, lit from a generous rooflight above
- it allows better circulation between the buildings on either side, and improves accessibility
- using the same footprint saves precious outdoor space, and improves junctions to the listed building
- because the building improves circulation and accessibility, internal staircases are removed to make room for other things
The cloisters will be retained as a defining feature. A lightweight façade on the upper levels allows the building to be read as a foil to its brick neighbours rather than competing with them. The patterned metal hides ventilation panels, plays with the rhythm of the cloisters and brings light and shadow to the library spaces. A rooflight draws light into the deepest part of the plan, but the library is designed to be a darker space, which is conducive to concentration. We are also refurbishing the sixth form centre adjacent to create a large, open-plan space; the combination of the new library, dining and sixth form centre will uplift this part of the school’s campus and greatly improves the variety and quality of academic and social spaces.
