St Jude & St Paul’s
Neighbourhood hall
New assembly hall for St Jude with St Paul’s CE Primary School, Mildmay, London
“Just a short note to say if anybody wishes to see the type of work SCABAL are able to deliver please visit my daughter’s school St Jude & St Paul’s in Dalston, where they have just finished the new hall and extension. The work is exemplary and visionary and I believe we are extremely lucky to have them onboard.”
Alan West, Parent
When St Jude and St Paul’s CE Primary School moved into their new premises in 2005, they found themselves a part of a brand-new kind of school building – arranged beneath flats, funded by the mix of use.
Squeezed into a tight site with limited access, the new ground floor school was left with a small hall and a tiny triangular playground against the railway with no views out or in. Having been buried for a while, the school’s now peeping out for everyone to see, a grand order butterscotch dolls house, a big stage for all sorts.
The new main hall aims to provide the school with what’s missing – a central gathering space with wide open views to the church and streets, a fully accessible space for extended use by the community, a proud and welcoming face to the neighbourhood, a big heart for the school and a new identity.
The gently faceted shape of the hall, the orientation of its big window and the high level of acoustic insulation pay respect to the immediate neighbours.
Inside, the 7.5m high window wall provides natural daylight throughout, whilst the rising geometry encourages fresh air to be naturally circulated through three automated ventilation chimneys at the apex. With its high levels of thermal insulation and low temperature underfloor heating, the hall uses little energy and can be run from the services in the existing school. The acoustic ceiling is engineered to hear either whole school assemblies, small classes or the in-time kiai! of fifty after school karate kids.
The new hall’s a healthy, low-energy, multi-purpose environment for a diverse range of users at all times, steeped in the sustainable school ethos.
Service: Architects
Location: London, Dalston
Client: London Diocesan Board for Schools & St Jude & St Paul’s C of E School
Cost: £800k
Areas: New first floor main hall 180sqm, accessible WC, stores, stair and lift 70sqm, remodelled ground floor hall and kitchen 375sqm, roof garden 86sqm
Dates: Consultation November 2009, Planning April 2010, full design & phased construction April 2010 – March 2011
Environment: Low energy and high comfort due to deep thermal insulation, natural daylight & circulated fresh air throughout and engineered acoustic ceilings
Awards
Shortlisted 2011 BCSE Awards – Excellence in Design for Teaching & Learning (Small Scale Projects)
Shortlisted 2011 BCSE Awards – Sports Award – Excellence in the Provision of Sports Facilities
Shortlisted 2011 BCSE Awards – Healthy Schools Award – Excellence in the provision of Dining or Outdoor Play Facilities
To Live In To Learn In To Work In To Play In