Brief

Renovation, conversion, and extension to the existing Davidson Centre Buildings have delivered a four-form entry primary school, the Robert Fitzroy Academy. The scheme provides places for 840 pupils and 90 teachers, and helps to assuage the high local demand for primary places.

Rationale

A 1950s brick building links two early Edwardian buildings, which are finely crafted and are the reason for the site’s locally listed status. A 1970s modular steel frame building forms the gym, sports hall, and dining hall.

The existing buildings were to be preserved as much as possible, including features such as original drainpipes. Other restrictions applied to extending gable ends and obscuring existing windows. Architype visited the Croydon Archives Office to find as much historic information as possible, including the original architect’s summary of the building, so that we could take as sensitive approach as possible to the refurbishment and remodeling process.

Our approach incorporates and restores original features where possible, particularly where they relate to the building’s eventful history. We decided that the new works would be adding a new layer of history, and crucially would need to provide a school environment that caters for contemporary education practices.

Results

This complex refurbishment involves a range of historic building issues including creating new openings in the existing façade; reactivating the original ventilation system; and inserting new services and insulation. As there was no room on the site for temporary accommodation, the project was being fast-tracked and a multi-phased approach was adopted, in order to meet the requirements of the first reception class intake by September 2012, with the project complete by July 2014. The playgroup also had to remain operational on site throughout the project.

Working closely with Croydon planning and conservation officers, we remodelled and refurbished the buildings into an inclusive 21st Century teaching and learning campus, developing a vibrant rebranding scheme, whilst respecting the original architectural character and history. Stripping out later architectural additions and creatively combining undersized classrooms has rationalised the plan, minimised extension of the footprint, and restored original features.

A series of small extensions bring class spaces up to date. Contemporary additions are clearly delineated, using zinc with coloured highlights and separating strips between the Edwardian buildings.

A strategy of using self-finished, robust materials externally has been followed to provide a long-life, easy to maintain building, which has a similar material honesty to the existing buildings. The colour scheme responds to the original Edwardian use of colour with coloured window frames, blinds, louvres, fencing, etc, all contributing to an interesting environment for the children. Colour has been used around the entrances to give welcoming warmth.

Architype’s ‘eco-minimalist’ approach has been implemented whereby sustainability is integrated into the design rather than by ‘bolt on’ renewables such as wind turbines. This means that high levels of insulation have been allowed for while solar gain and natural ventilation have been carefully considered to reduce overheating.

Landscape

A new external landscape scheme is defined by a series of spaces articulated around a bold ‘river’ spine (a concept informed by the Norbury Brook which is culverted beneath the site), which ties together from north-east to south west. Key Stage 1 and 2 have been located within the main courtyard, where a stepped amphitheatre and stage have been provided for external performance along with tree planting to soften the overall scale of the space, reducing the ‘gardness’ of both paved surfaces and building elevation, and provide seasonal solar shading to the classrooms.

The reception area play is a bold stripe of multi-coloured safety surfacing and incorporates a sand pit, fixed play equipment and a themed highway floorscape. The reception area is gated to control access from the remainder of the site.

A decked area with new planting is adjacent to the hall to create a pleasant outdoor eating area, and further planting with habitat interventions including log piles and bird and bat boxes create an ecology garden. A fenced and lit MUGA for external sports is available for out of hours use.