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Torriano school
Torriano school
Primary conjures up new space for STEM lab

Torriano Primary School in Camden, North London has found an ingenious way to create a new hands-on learning space for its 448 pupils.

With over 400 pupils located on a tight school site and a limited budget, re-using the existing ‘turret’ - previously a series of small rooms used for storage accessed via a steep, rickety staircase - was paramount. An inventive new science lab has been created by opening up the existing second and third floor rooms to form one tall space, naturally lit by a large skylight above.

The interior takes the form of a series of laminated plywood portals that act as learning apparatus: a framework that allows items to be dropped from, draped over, threaded through, clamped to or projected onto it. 

Constellations are etched into the faces of the timber and the form of the portals helps re-define the double-height teaching space and provide a cathedral-like scale to a small, rediscovered part of the school.

An adaptable space

Careful design allows flexible use, with a variety of spaces to carry out practical experiments.

Fold-down demonstration desks can be used for small groups or lifted-up to form a large clear space for experiments.

Floor projection IT equipment allows for pupils to feature inside their presentation: a form of interactive and inclusive learning.

The space also features a black-out area for light-based experiments and a mezzanine to enable students to gain additional height to undertake practical experiments.

The exteriors

To the rear of the room, a super-sized timber-framed, glazed door provides access to a small, south-facing roof terrace allowing learning experiences to be taken outside. Here, an external living wall and cactus planter enables pupils to become involved in the care of plants, teaching them about biodiversity and natural habitats, while internal planters teach about differing climatic habitats, their role in reducing air polluting gasses and increasing biophilic well-being.

Outside, mirror-polished stainless steel shingle tiles extension give the facade of the small roof-top extension a fairy-tale like appearance – a shining beacon sitting on top of the school. The mirror tiles reference the clay tiles and lead-clad dormers of the existing building, while playfully reflecting the greenery and the environment around the school.


Low-technology solutions

Ventilation
The large doors and opening high-level windows allow natural stack ventilation throughout the space, avoiding stuffy teaching spaces.

Insulation
The project brings into use the disused and inaccessible loft space and the roof pitches, thus maximising additional learning space for the school with a minimal extension. These poorly insulated spaces were heavily insulated, creating an efficient thermal envelope for the new lab, and meeting Camden Council’s sustainability criteria and exceeding building regulations requirements.

Lighting
The new extension maximises natural daylighting into the spaces with a large skylight the full width of the extension and south-facing glazed doors opening out onto the terrace. All-new light fittings to the space use low-energy LEDs.

Team inspiration
The project is the result of collaboration between the architects Hayhurst & Co, teachers and pupils. Artist in Residence, Jack Cornell, worked with Hayhurst & Co to help them test, draw and model activities that the pupils might want to undertake in the space, which originally inspired the idea of the plywood superstructure. The STEM lab was partly inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machine.   

Funding
This small but incredibly high-impact space was completed in August 2018 on a very tight budget. It was made possible thanks to an enlighted use of Section 106 funding by Camden Council. What could easily have been spent on paving and potholes has instead been invested in an outstanding piece of education infrastructure. 

 
An immersive space

Helen Bruckdorfer, Head teacher at Toriano Primary School said, “Torriano’s conviction is that creativity, expressed here as the A for Arts, is as integral to learning as the other STEM subjects, and the new lab has provided the perfect context for our interdisciplinary approach. The space immerses children in investigative and creative learning: a place where curious minds are nurtured and where children can observe, code, grow and enquire. All children have access to their multi-purpose space, and thanks to business partnerships and cultural collaborations, we all enjoy ‘working scientifically’ in this inspiring lab”.

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