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Edith Neville Primary School, London


Edith Neville Primary School in the London Borough of Camden, RIBA National Award 2023 winner, was designed for its location, with a focus on outdoor space and a gallery-like interior that showcases children’s work. Circulation spaces are more than corridors, doubling as break-out areas and display locations.


Architect Hayhurst & Co


Client London Borough of Camden


Landscape design Howard Miller Design


Principal designer Currie & Brown


Structural engineer Price & Myers


Contractor Neilcott Construction Left and below


Alfreton Park School, Derbyshire


Alfreton Park School won the 2024 RIBA East Midlands Building of the Year, when judges applauded its joyful colour scheme of jade green zinc and terracotta cladding. The building, which won an architectural competition by Derbyshire County Council, provided a replacement SEND school for children aged three to 19, and was created to be ‘of the hill, not on it’, fitting gracefully into the landscape and surrounding the youngsters with nature and space to enjoy the outdoors. Activities like trampolining are at the heart of the school, and details include ceilings that conceptually follow the line of the hillside, adding visual interest for pupils who may spend time on the floor looking up.


Architect Curl La Tourelle Head Architecture


Client Derbyshire County Council


Executive delivery architect Maber


Environmental Engineering Method Consulting


Landscape design Wynne-Williams Associates


Structural engineer Price & Myers Contractor Henry Brothers


In some respects, the government’s firm guidelines on school design are a good thing. ‘Te technical briefs that are issued by the Department of Education in terms of daylight and fresh air and temperature are pretty good,’ says Cottrell. ‘If you get the technical standards right you should provide a good space for learning. But how does it feel? In any other building in life that is considered important – think of the amount of money spent on office environments.’


‘It’s been harder and harder to design state schools as we’re not involved early enough and it’s not perceived that architects can add any value’


Nick Hayhurst, director of Hayhurst and Co. Architects, was behind the RIBA National Award-winning Edith Neville Primary School near King’s Cross, where he was able to spend time tailoring the building to the local community. ‘Te character of the internal spaces – the look and feel – was important. Often, school designs have a natural look, but Edith Neville talked about wanting the space to feel like a civic building rather than a school, not full of primary


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