Creation of a new Lodge accommodation building comprising 35 bedspaces, a 4-bedroom lodge parents’ house, 3no. 2-bed lodge assistants’ flats and a ground floor common area, set over 3 floors in a secluded courtyard within the school grounds.

The new dormitory replaces an offsite building and teaching block that had reached the end of its life and requires demolition and brings the children safely back within the school’s boundary. Set around a courtyard, the new accommodation links with another dormitory building and provides a new secluded and safe outside amenity space.

OA produced the brief and accommodation schedule by engaging with the school governors and lodge parents and, along with JPPC planning consultants, took the scheme successfully through the planning process. We are currently going through RIBA Stage 4 to produce technical drawings for Building Regulations compliance and onwards to a tender exercise with a view to going on site in April 2023.

The building will be highly efficient and environmentally friendly with PV panels on the roof, natural ventilation, solar control and bat boxes.

As we have completed a number of projects at the school, we have an understanding of the client’s needs and operational methods. We were quickly able to create the brief, agree with the many stakeholders, and bring the project to a point where the school was able to obtain budget costings and commit to the detailed design.

We have also provided option studies for the re-use/disposal of the previous accommodation site which will be used to facilitate the new build.