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BUILDINGS, MAINTENANCE & REFURBISHMENT
Work Starts on Site at Rugby School’s Whitelaw Boarding House S
ignificant extension and alteration works have begun on the collection of Grade II Listed and historically significant buildings
which form Whitelaw, a boarding house at Rugby School, one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Dating back to the early 19th Century, Whitelaw House is one of Rugby
School’s largest and first purpose built boarding houses, with the first dormitory block constructed in 1874 and another prominent block added in 1887. With a breadth of experience working with historic independent schools,
GSSArchitecture have worked with Rugby school to develop plans to help its boarding accommodation to continue to provide one of the best boarding educational environments in the country. Primarily, the internal works are to increase room sizes and to improve the
flow and use of the building so that it can perform most effectively. The extension within the courtyard is to have a modern aesthetic and will be detailed to contrast with the existing structures, allowing for visually appealing interactions while also enabling the building's history to be easily read. This remodel will allow for inclusive usage, as an accessible bedroom has
also been included to the ground floor to enable students with different needs to be able to live easily amongst their peers. This project has also presented an opportunity for GSSArchitecture to work
with the school to establish how sensitive upgrades can be made to the building fabric. This will involve lining external walls, upgrading existing fenestration and increasing the presence of insulation throughout. An understanding of how to increase buildings environmental performance in a heritage context is an increasingly important aspect of working with Independent Schools. GSSArchitecture are working alongside main contractor, Steele & Bray, on
this scheme, which is the second project that the Practice have been involved in at Rugby School, having previously worked as Architects, Principal Designers and Quantity Surveyors for the construction of a new boarding house at the school in 2019. Andrew Vallis, Project Lead and Associate at GSSArchitecture, said, “We
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are so pleased to have been invited back to work as Architects on this exciting scheme. Our aim is to preserve the building and respect its heritage whilst enabling the continual usage of the building for its original intended purpose by sympathetically upgrading and repurposing the existing spaces, making it suitable for use as a boarding house as part of a modern, important, school.” GSS has extensive experience in the design and delivery of many projects
and upgrades to education estates. To find out more about GSSArchitecture, including our portfolio of work in a variety of other sectors, please visit
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