November 11 2015

Keppie Design has won planning permission for the construction of a £5.5m free school in Islington, London.

This will entail demolition of the A-listed Ashmount Primary School, designed by Festival of Britain architect HT Cadbury-Brown in 1953, to make way for Whitehall Park Free School – enabling it to increase capacity to 420 pupils by 2020.

Occupying a constricted site the three storey build will incorporate a rooftop playground above 14 classrooms arranged over two wings, a sports/dining hall and studio.

In a statement Keppie noted: “Glass curtain walling wraps round both street elevations, allowing the building to engage with the street and provides a reference to the heritage of the glazed Cadbury-Brown building. Internal wall colours, lighting and activity will animate the immediate area. London brick and engineering brick, along with full height glazed screens, form the cladding to the elevations facing the south facing playground. The colourful rooftop stair cores provide accent and focus particularly at the rooftop playground.

“Original artwork from the existing school, a cockerel sculpture by John Willats, will be refurbished and relocated adjacent to the main entrance.”

The new school is expected to open its doors in September next year.

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