Cwm Ifor Primary School

Cwm Ifor Primary school was designed by Architype in partnership with Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) Building Consultancy as part of the 21st Century Schools Programme. Our team led the design of this new build 1.5 form entry primary school to RIBA stage D, including in-depth client and user consultation, CCBC Building Consultancy then led from Stage E.

Location

Caerphilly, UK

Area

2,065 m2

Status

Completed

Year

2012

Client

Caerphilly County Borough Counci

The flexible plan of Cwm Ifor Primary School provides a very much learner-oriented design, with a greater emphasis on informal learning areas and the elimination of traditional corridor spaces.

Located in a socially deprived area of Caerphilly, the new school facilities have been strategically located on the school grounds to encourage people from all around to take pride in the facilities and increase attendance at the school.

The brief placed emphasis on the need for the design to embrace the school’s culture and ethos of community and support. The timber frame solution incorporates a large open plan dining/café/performance social space at the heart of the building which opens up to the adjacent hall, increasing its capacity for school performances and activities. Arranged off this the central space are four wings accommodating the foundation stage, infant, junior and staff administration facilities.

I am delighted with the flexibility of the classrooms, the children feel like they have the independence to work and play 'outside' the classroom in the hub space.

Sophie Goodliffe, Teacher

Vision

All vision

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Design

Architype undertook a comprehensive consultation process over several months at key stages of the initial design development. In particular we aimed to engender a genuine sense of ownership by involving the whole school community in the design, its progression and the overall educational agenda. The consultation process setup an opportunity to define a clear pedagogical vision to inform the design and reflect the ethos of the school in the design. This process involved the whole school community – pupils, teaching staff, support staff, caretaker, lollipop men, governors and the head teacher.

The outcome of this process led to corridors being eliminated with their space allocation combined into shared spaces allowing for more interaction between children. Accessed via a bridge across an opened up stream, the entrance is clearly visible, overseen by the admin office and provides a direct connection into the central dining space, conceived as the shared ‘heart’ space to offer the children, many from deprived homes, a caring and warm ‘family’ environment.

The entire building takes a single storey form, with wide entrance doors and moveable walls, offering flexibility and ease of movement for all. Bright contrasting colours animate the internal spaces, with high-level clerestory windows allowing natural light into the heart of the building.

The relationship between these spaces, the moveable walls and clear visibility means they are able to be monitored without hindering independent learning opportunities.