Queens Park

Client - The School Governors
Location - Queens Park, London NW10
Appointed -
Estimated value - £5.5m

The replacement of this school's 1970's buildings following the discovery of major structural defects, provided an opportunity for reassessment and re-organisation of teaching and support spaces to provide modern faculty based accommodation in a redevelopment programme that saw the demolition of 6,000sq.m of poor accommodation and construction of 5,000sq.m of modern teaching space plus significant remodelling of many of the retained buildings.

The scheme provides for Design Technology workshops, Art rooms, ICT suites, a central Library & Resources suite, eleven Science laboratories and a Drama Studio. They also house new management offices and faculty seminar rooms. All works were carried out over 18 months while the school was in occupation.

In 2001, as part of the London Borough of Brent Excellence in Cities Programme, the school was selected to share the provision of the area's City Learning Centre. Barron and Smith produced a design for an independent CLC building in harmony with those new school buildings but with a principal façade directed towards the community.

The QPCS CLC Brief required an attractive building, to include an external and internal waiting area for 30 pupils visiting and leaving the Centre, a computer room for informal and formal ICT training and a drama space (the school's speciality) with sound and video conferencing facilities.

The City Learning Centre is open throughout the year into the evening and provides a learning resource not just for the school but also for local primary schools and the wider community.

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