“After numerous discussions and valuable input from our visiting panelists, we have made the decision to take forward the project run by group 1. From a distance it seemed to be the most complicated project of the three but in reality it turned out to be the most meticulously researched, with the least questions unanswered about its design, structure, materials, details and buildability.”

A summary of this project will follow.

There is continuity produced by materiality and form but also irregularity due to the changing of shapes. This play of visuals creates an energetic environment.

A dissection of the design shows a fluid plan that is framed by wooden beams that contract and expand to follow the shape of the building that is being encapsulated beneath.

Many issues such as acoustic and thermal separation had to be addressed, but the scale and feature wall were maintained from the original scheme.

This feature wall (or ‘crazy wall’, as it became known) stretched the highest length of the building as well as being integrated into many of the classrooms. As a modular unit, it provided features such as coloured diffusion of light, storage and seating on a child’s scale.