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NEWS EDUCATION
Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt completes Charterhouse’s art and design centre
Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt has announced the completion of the Art and Design Engineering Centre at Charterhouse School in Godalming, Surrey. The new facility marks a signifi cant milestone in the school’s ongoing campus transformation, supporting its transition to co-education and enhancing its provision of “high- quality, future focused education.” The completed scheme includes a state-of-the-art extension and the full refurbishment of the existing Art, Design and Technology buildings. A new glazed link now unites the three structures, creating a central hub featuring a shared entrance, dedicated gallery spaces, and a landscaped external courtyard. The Art and Design Engineering Centre delivers on Charterhouse’s ambition to “create a collaborative, innovative and inclusive environment where Art, Design and Technology intersect.” Designed to be net zero carbon in use, the project integrates passive environmental strategies and renewable technologies to ensure long-term sustainability. Careful orientation maximises natural light, while a high-performance envelope plus natural ventilation systems signifi cantly reduce energy demand. Ground source heat pumps and rooftop photovoltaics provide clean energy, managed through sophisticated building controls to optimise performance. The existing studio building, designed by James Dartford in 1957, has been
Photography © Jim Stephenson
carefully reconfi gured and upgraded to meet contemporary standards while preserving its architectural signifi cance. The design carefully negotiates the transition between the campus’s Gothic architecture and the modernist forms of the 1957 studio building, using a contemporary interpretation of traditional materials. The new extension’s facade – a “refi ned screen of vertical clay profi led tiles,”said the architects – references the historic clay tile banding found on the heritage building roofs across the campus, “harmonising old and new in a visually compelling way.”
The design supports a wide range of learning styles and activities, from collaborative studio work and specialist workshops to informal seminars and student exhibitions. The shared “fabrication lab” exemplifi es this fl exibility, bringing together traditional craftsmanship and digital innovation in a space where departments naturally overlap and ideas cross pollinate.
Circulation spaces have been reimagined as additional gallery areas, giving students greater opportunity to showcase their creative output. At the heart of the centre is a versatile courtyard designed for refl ection, social interaction, outdoor learning, and seasonal events. It reinforces the project’s mission to serve both the individual and the community.
By creating spaces that encourage collaboration, creativity, and fl exibility, the building “helps realise Charterhouse’s ambition for a high-quality, cross departmental, and future focused campus,” said the architects. “The design balances the need to respect heritage with the imperative to provide innovative, sustainable spaces that will serve the school community for generations to come.”
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK ADF SEPTEMBER 2025
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