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About Us

Donald Barron and Michael Smith founded the practice in 1959 having both participated in the 'heroic age' of modern school design at Hertfordshire County Council and the Ministry of Education. Their particular focus on buildings for education has been maintained and infused through the next generation of practice partners to the present day.

Our continued success depends on a constant evolution of design approach and working practices. New designers have arrived bringing fresh architectural ideas to help the practice prosper in the 21st century. The collective experience and in-depth knowledge of education design at Barron and Smith Architects, means we are well placed to contribute to a renaissance in school buildings given current record levels of government investment.

  • Barron and Smith Architects have completed a number of large scale education projects, most recently the �25 million new Bishop Justus Secondary School in Bromley.

  • Barron and Smith Architects are working on the Building Schools for the Future programme for Greenwich Council, a pathfinder authority. Our work has included outline designs for the rebuilding of Thomas Tallis secondary school, extensions & remodelling of Plumstead Manor School and a concept design for relocating The John Roan school to a restricted site on the Greenwich peninsula. Last October we undertook a review of a further eleven secondary schools sites for VT Education and Skills Ltd. [Strategic Partner to Greenwich Council] in respect of 'Readiness to Deliver', since placed in Wave 5 (works estimated at �180 million).

  • Barron and Smith Architects have provided architectural support towards the Outline and Strategic Business Case for Haringey Council's Building Schools for the Future programme. Our work to date has involved the preparation of three options to outline designs level for each of the ten secondary schools in the programme. We have since been appointed as Client Design Advisor to prepare detailed educational briefs for each project and monitoring of their subsequent implementation.

  • Barron and Smith Architects are fully conversant with the current School Premises Regulations, now incorporated into Building Regulations, and all published DfES Building Bulletin Guidance on the design of schools, as well as the general legislative framework for the funding and procurement of school buildings. We have also contributed towards the writing of Building Bulletins 93 and 99.

  • Barron and Smith Architects are specialists with a keen interest in all aspects of educational design including building fabric, acoustics, hard and soft landscape, furniture and fittings as well as curricular issues. They are aware of the special requirements for school building design and are familiar with the DfES' Building Bulletin series and the Sport England advisory publications. That interest extends to wider issues of education, the psychology of children's play and learning, the 'extended day' and other school/community initiatives and the commitment to provide the highest quality educational environments with value for money. Raising standards, cost implications of design solutions, sustainability and the process of consultation with stakeholders are familiar to us.

  • Barron and Smith Architects operate a Quality System and have been assured under ISO 9001 since 1992.