Marriotts and Lonsdale Schools

As part of the successful Balfour Beatty bid forHertfordshire Building Schools for the Future,this new build school facilitates the colocation ofMarriotts School, an eight form entrymainstream secondary school, with LonsdaleSchool; a special school and a residential facilityfor pupils with a wide range of physical andneurological impairments.

Developed in consultation with staff and pupilsfrom both schools, our innovative designmaximises the opportunities for the two schoolsto work together in order to develop a fullyintegrated learning community, whilst continuingto build on the success of their individualschools.

At the heart of the colocation is the Hub, aninspiring and stimulating learning environmentthat is accessible to all, accommodating learningresources for both schools. Careful planningallows each school to retain its unique smallschool ethos, ensuring that vulnerable pupils feelsafe and secure in the context of a larger schooland that their specific needs are met.

Marriotts & Lonsdale Schools, HertfordshireCompletion Date Jan 2013Contract Value £43mClient Hertfordshire County Council /Balfour Beatty

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Located on the first floor, residentialaccommodation for Lonsdale pupils benefitsfrom access to a rich mix of facilities that extendthe learning experience. A new sports hubprovides both schools with an excitingopportunity to build on their already successfulsports and performing arts partnerships.

The design creates a long life, loose-fitenvironment that can evolve with the schools,both on a day-to-day basis in the short term, andfurther into the future in the longer term,providing flexibility and adaptabilitythroughout.The building is punctuated with aseries of different sized courtyards which notonly provide good levels of daylight andventilation into the deep plan building, but alsocreate range of external shared learning andsocial spaces which help to nurture the evolvingintegration of the two schools.

As part of the overall bid, ArchitecturePLBworked closely with Balfour Beatty to develop asustainable, standardised construction approachto provide cost-effective, high quality, flexible andadaptable teaching spaces. This contributes tothe low energy design, achieving a BREEAMrating of Very Good.

The pupils love the new environment with spaceand light. The staff love the new environmentwith excellent resources for moving andhandling and teaching and learning. As a resultthe pupils are thriving and, I am sure you agree,that end of year reports show how much thepupils are learning and developing.

Maria WhiteHeadteacherLonsdale School Newsletter July 2013

Total Area : 20,500m2Procurement Type : BSF PFILocal Authority : Hertfordshire County Council

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