May 1 2013

Stromness Primary School, part of the Orkney Islands Schools Investment Programme, has been handed over to staff and pupils by Keppie Design and Morrison Construction.

Incorporating a roll 200 pupils and a 30 pupil nursery the new build school takes the form of a series of gable ends facing toward Hamnavoe, a conscious contemporary interpretation of the traditional Stromness approach of facing away from the harsh winds which regularly blast the shoreline.

Keppie director Peter Moran said:  “One of the main design features of the new facility is the physical linking of the nursery to the primary school and the incorporation of internal breakout spaces that can be utilised by surrounding classrooms, increasing their flexibility.

“We designed the break-out spaces and activity areas to maximise movement and allow for varying sizes of activities. The teaching clusters, nursery and administrative areas were carefully planned so they can be closed off from the multi-purpose hall, dining and associated facilities to provide an independent community use facility in the evenings.”

A spate of new educational facilities are currently in the pipeline for the island thanks to the £50m investment programme; notably a new Kirkwall Grammar School and theatre, Papdale Halls of Residence and a new swimming pool and sporting facilities at Kirkwall’s Pickaquoy Centre – all of which are being designed by Keppie.

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