An open plan

Study for the participatory replacement and expansion of Lauriston Primary School, Vitoria Park, London

As one of the very best primary schools in Hackney, Lauriston was also the most over-subscribed in one of the most run-down buildings in the borough, so the Learning Trust chose it for a rebuilding programme that would take it to a modern two form-entry school. They also chose SCABAL to work with the school in the formulation of a brief and a redevelopment plan. Remarkably for the time, the open plan arrangement of the single-storey school ideally suited their cooperative one-class ethos and distilling and bottling this for the journey ahead was the main task of the multiple participation processes we embarked on with children staff and parents.

Filmed encounters in a Big-Brother chair, packing a suitcase, jigsaw-school-making, total immersion of architects in the daily life of the school and potato printing workshops were just some of the purpose-made consultation techniques that were used in the bottling process.

Seven school-future typologies were then put forward for consideration and hybridisation by the school community along with a detailed brief for redevelopment.

Service: Feasibility

Location: Victoria Park, Hackney, London

Client: London Borough of Hackney and the Learning Trust

Cost: £tbc

Dates: TBC

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