DMA News: Project updates. 14/07/2020
On Site at Crosfields School
Work has started on site for a new senior school building at Crosfields School, a co-educational independent day school in Reading. Our design was chosen through an invited competition and, as well as making the most of the site’s fantastic hilltop position, we have tried to provide a building that fits well with the forward-thinking, inclusive ethos of the school.
The existing school is made up of single and double storey buildings set around courtyards and green spaces, with a pleasant, campus-like feel and our new building continues and adds to this, carefully weaving between the existing mature trees across the site and creating a new senior school courtyard with views across the town. The aim is that this new enclosed outdoor space will act as a social hub, reinforcing the school’s friendly atmosphere and the importance of the school community.
The new building uses CLT, a modern, off-site construction technique that is often chosen for its programmatic efficiencies. Here it has been chosen for the warm and welcoming quality of the timber finish as well as its sustainability credentials, both very much in keeping with the school’s ethos.
To allow the school to continue to operate during construction, a phased approach is being taken with the first phase including a new front entrance, nine new classrooms, staff area, library, flexible performance space and a café that spills out into the courtyard.
