Nine Elms School

The solution

Our approach to delivering a Healthy School for the Nine Elms includes low carbon and low energy building strategies. Our energy approach meets and exceeds the “be lean, clean and green” strategy referenced in the London Plan, achieving an overall savings of 35 per cent CO2, and the required energy credits to deliver the ambitious BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating. The building structure and systems also improve internal air quality, incorporating massing that maximises passive energy.

We have completed a Passivhaus study for the London Borough of Wandsworth to demonstrate how the development can meet this standard, along with an appraisal of the capital and operational costs. We also designed the post-pandemic school to promote and foster a greater relationship for children with the outdoors by blurring the boundaries between the inside and outside, with a cloistered courtyard that provides liminal covered spaces that can be used year-round for play and learning.

The impact

Our holistic approach to outdoor learning considers space beyond the four walls of the school, identifying facilities and spaces that complement the range of learning and play spaces within the school, including the sports pitch at the adjacent Park Basin and wild garden towards the US Embassy. This enriches the education for the pupils through greater diversity and biodiversity and strengthens the links with the wider community. Forging greater connections with the community through a mixed-use offering also allows different community strands to feel ownership of the spaces. Our design meets the mental health “Five Ways to Wellbeing” — connect, be active, keep learning, give, and take notice.