Highbury Grove and Samuel Rhodes Schools

Two storey in-situ flat slab frame
Architect: BDP
Engineer: BDP
Contractor: Balfour Beatty

Project Description

Samuel Rhodes School is one of the special schools in Islington, each of which provide support for children with particular special educational needs (SEN).  The secondary school campus, opened in 2009, is located on the same site as Highbury Grove School, a mainstream secondary school, which is being completed in 2010.  The schools share dining and sports facilities.

The project cost for the two schools was £30 million and they will together cater for 1200 students.  It was build as part of Islington’s BSF project.

The new building will generate 20% of its energy from on-site renewable energy installations.

Construction

The school was built around the existing buildings on the site which needed to be kept open during the construction phase.  The site was therefore very congested.

The concrete frame is a flat slab construction 325mm thick with exposed soffits and shear walls.  The classrooms are on an 8m grid with 2-3m cantilevers overlooking atria in the centre of the building.  The columns are 500x250mm hidden in the walls, except for some larger exposed circular columns.

The concrete is exposed to provide thermal mass for the building and the acoustic reverberation is prevented by acoustic baffles hanging from the soffit.

The Concrete Benefits

The concrete frame provides a flexible, adaptable structure which is robust and safe.  The exposed concrete soffits and walls provide thermal mass to reduce the requirements for servicing. 

The project was highly commended in the Most Sustainable School Design  in the Excellence in BSF Awards in 2008.