Harris Academy South Norwood is a 1,300-pupil secondary school and one of the first wave of City Academies specialising in business and practical vocational subjects. Its design responded to a constrained, sloping site with a logical and efficient organisational diagram that placed the main school building on the flattest area – a large, deep-plan building reflecting the preference of the project’s educational consultants for a ‘gathered’ arrangement. A grade II-listed Edwardian building facing the street was remodelled, and split between the academy’s sixth-form and a community arts centre. A covered walkway links the two academic buildings to a larch-clad sports hall.
Client: The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and The Harris Academy Trust Team
Dates: 2005—2008
Architect and Landscape Architect:
John McAslan + Partners
Consultants
Arup
Davis Langdon
3E’s
EC Harris
General Contractor:
Wates
Organisation around multi-functional atria
The three-storey main building is arranged around a series of full-height, top-lit atria that accommodate the foyer as well as teaching, dining and library spaces. These courts sit between specialist teaching blocks, like the rungs of a ladder, and are animated by glazed laboratories and studios, and open walkways that allow the school’s population to move swiftly and intuitively between classes throughout the day. ETFE roofs bring natural light and sky views deep into the plan, maintaining a connection to the outside and giving life to the interior.
Daylit classrooms and durable materials
Classrooms are arranged primarily along the two long elevations to maximise daylight, fresh air and external views. Materials and finishes were selected for durability and ease of maintenance, with facades articulated through a rhythmic composition of windows, ventilation panels and precast concrete elements. Internally, vibrant colour palettes support orientation and create moments of delight within a pragmatic, hard-working building.
