Hackney is home to some of the most interesting school and children’s centre buildings in the country, with a number being re-built or re-furbished in the past few years.
Lauriston Primary School
To reflect Lauriston’s status as a creative school, artist Liam Gillick, a former Turner Prize nominee, designed striking coloured cladding for its facade. Eight thousand bricks, 518 lights and 250 metres of cables were used to create the school. Not only has Lauriston had a new build, it can now house twice the amount of pupils and has been admitting an additional form each year since 2009.
In July 2011, Lauriston and project architects Meadowcroft Griffin won the British Council for School Environments award for ‘Excellence in Design for Teaching and Learning (Primary)’.
Skinners’ Academy
Built on the principle of open-plan learning space, the light and spacious Academy replaces the former Skinners’ Company’s School for Girls previously located in a listed building in Stamford Hill. Now a mixed school to meet demand, it is sponsored by the Skinners’ Company, one of the great twelve livery companies with a history spanning back 700 years. The building incorporates a number of environmental features including the recycling of rainwater and a seeded roof, and stands on top of a valley providing stunning views of Alexandra Park.
Berger Primary School (pictured left)
The rebuild of Berger Primary School was completed in Spring 2010, The key emphasis of the design strategy was environmental design and the utilisation of sustainable technologies. This maximises outside learning and play opportunities in the external environment, to develop and expand on the schools excellent work in sport, ICT, media and the arts. It also offers a safe and welcoming environment for parents, carers, and members of the local community to access the school’s learning environment via extended services.
Brook Children Centre
This was the last of almost 20 new Children’s Centres created in Hackney since 2004. This particular centre was designed to provide flexible use accommodation for a range of community activities such as health services, family support and parenting, including flexible accommodation to enable adult learning, parenting training groups and community group activities to take place. In addition there is a consultation room that is capable of hosting 1:1 meetings or small, informal meetings for up to four people as well as catering for medical/health outreach services.
Hackney Marsh Adventure Playground
Hackney Marsh Adventure Playground served the area and the young people of Kingsmead for many years. Allthough the playground was well used the equipment was tired and the building could no longer offer quality space to house young people and the range of activities needed. We constructed a new, accessible and much bigger building together with exciting, innovative and inclusive play structures.
The new facilities have not only attracted double the number of young people to the playground, they have allowed the centre to reach out and become a resource for all the community. Older people now participate in a growing project at the playground, the under fives can use the play equipment when accompanied and the inclusive play structures and accessible building mean the excitement and benefits of play can be enjoyed by all young people.
Contact Us: 