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Architects: Maccreanor Lavington Architects
- Area: 1925 m²
- Year: 2020
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Photographs:Jack Hobhouse
Text description provided by the architects. Maccreanor Lavington has delivered a new refectory building for Ibstock Place School in Roehampton. The practice was appointed after winning a competition to design the new wing at the independent co-educational day school for pupils aged 4 to 18 years.
The building has been carefully crafted to sit harmoniously at the heart of the established school campus. It sympathetically draws upon its context of the adjoining locally listed Main House and historic orchard. A brick colonnade forms a cloister providing valuable external circulation space across the wider site and forms a formal edge to the gardens.
The generous floor space increases capacity and supports a diverse multi-use program. The building accommodates a full commercial kitchen with specialist pastry kitchen and hospitality annexe providing breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. The kitchens alone produce 220,000 lunches per year. Above the kitchens and servery sits a dedicated 6th Form dining area and study centre with views towards Richmond Park.
A soft, handmade stock brick, plain clay tiles and Yorkstone paving have been chosen to reflect the adjoining landscape and buildings; they are materials which will age gracefully, supporting a timeless quality to the building. The intricate pyramidal glulam roof structure provides both a sense of intimacy and grandeur. The grid of roof timbers, set out in a diamond arrangement, sets the geometry of the building and informs the internal space planning below. The volumes rise to three glazed lanterns which elevate the structure, the roof volume supports a simple natural ventilation strategy and allows light deep into the plan.
The new refectory provides a high quality, enjoyable dining environment with abundant natural light and garden views through generous glazing. Internally the building uses a durable and robust palette of materials comprising; profiled oak wall and ceiling linings, timber and terrazzo flooring and handmade Portuguese wall tiles. Materials were chosen for their tactile qualities, adding a richness of texture.
The design approach first seeks to maximise passive design opportunities to reduce the building’s energy demand. The main spaces rely on natural ventilation for cooling and nighttime ventilation with thermal mass built into the structure at low level to mitigate the overheating risk during the day. The size and position of openings at low level are carefully located to mitigate overheating risk. High level openings above the main dining halls and the 6th Form study area provide an exhaust for stale, hot air, which is driven by a stack effect. The building is also equipped with mixed mode mechanical ventilation with heat recovery for winter.
The design has been developed in recognition of the vital importance of lunchtimes in supporting pupils’ social and emotional development; providing an inclusive, calm and comfortable environment for pupils and staff was integral to the design and reflects the School’s strong family ethos. The refectory is a celebration of communal life at the school – a dynamic and engaging space that is equally functional and flexible.
