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October 2012
Holmes Miller complete Park Mains High

Holmes Miller complete Park Mains High

October 23 2012

Holmes Miller have showcased their newly completed £31m Park Mains High School, Erskine, a three storey structure accommodating 1400 pupils and 136 staff designed for Renfrewshire Council.

Delivered by BAM Construction the school is finished in a grid of orange brickwork, with raking parapets employed to add perspective to key corners. A zinc clad two-storey management and administration building slotted within it.

Pedestrian movement is encouraged around a central social space arranged within a central atrium, defined by a strong grid of timber that is intended to compliment the rhythm of the external brickwork. This space benefits from natural light drawn through a series of rooflights and glazing that overlooks an external courtyard area,

Informed by the Curriculum for Excellence in school design, the plans include a series of ‘break-out’ spaces outside classrooms that help to facilitate different kinds of learning environments. Greater flexibility within classrooms spaces enables teachers to deliver different types of learning, thereby allowing an emphasis on topic rather than subject based learning.

Michael Dewar, Park Mains HS Head Teacher, said, 'This impressive building has already lifted the morale of staff, the pupils love it and the community are regular users of the tremendous sports facilities now available to them.'

Photography by Andrew Lee

A zinc clad administration and management building is situated at the front entrance

Enhanced PE facilities, including a four court Games Hall, Gymnasium, Dance Studio, and Fitness Suite are on offer

Generous spaces and sparing use of colour have been used to create a dignified interior

Park mains is a flagship secondary school for Renfrewshire

The School entrance and community entrance are merged to form a singular civic approach

The school is intended to act as a hub for the wider Erskine community

5 Comments

#1 Posted by Art Vandelay on 23 Oct 2012 at 12:35 PM

The internal spaces look good. Not sure about the brickwork though - can't imagine a colour as strong as that weathering particularly well.

#2 Posted by SAndals on 23 Oct 2012 at 13:17 PM

I agree with Art - internally the school looks pretty interesting; nice use of colour and materials. Better than the usual PPP norm. Huge entrance space - hope it's not usually filled with dining furniture?
I also like the brick frame externally but the cclunky detailing and infil is letting it down and result is a neither nor compromise which needed more confidence and rigour. Shame there isn't more glazing.
Is there a shot of the main entrance?

#3 Posted by Egbert on 24 Oct 2012 at 09:41 AM

This looks pretty good - nice to see a strong, rational elevational treatment (even if slightly compromised) and a simple, restrained palette of decent materials internally. Dignified seems a good word.

Hopefully this can serve as a better model for future projects than the rather garish and inconsistent North Lanarkshire schools.