Murray Centre at Downe House School, Berkshire Building, English Educational Facility, Architecture Images
Murray Centre at Downe House School in Berkshire
New Educational Facility in Thatcham, Southeast England by Design Engine Architects, UK
5 Feb 2019
Murray Centre at Downe House School
Architects: Design Engine
Location: Hermitage Road, Cold Ash, Berkshire, Southeast England
Murray Centre at Downe House School Building
Multi award-winning architects Design Engine have completed the Murray Centre, a new learning centre at Downe House, an independent boarding school for girls in Cold Ash, Berkshire.
Following an invited design competition in 2013, architects Design Engine were commissioned to develop proposals for a visually and experientially inspiring building that would sit at the heart of the campus and serve as a hub for some of the key spaces of learning and day-to-day activities: a new library, multi-purpose auditorium, teaching spaces, cafe, shop, social space, offices and sixth form supporting spaces.
Crucially, the centre was also envisaged as an environment which acts as a stepping-stone towards the experiences of Higher Education.
Situated at the end of the School’s linear entrance route, the Murray Centre’s strong form and glazed east elevation create a physical and visual draw into the campus.
The building’s form and materials are intended to respond to the distinctive character of its built context. The building’s location and fenestration also have been arranged to connect with the surrounding woodland that gives the School a unique setting.
The accommodation is arranged over three storeys, with a lower ground floor partially set into the natural site levels. This allows a two-storey main entrance foyer well as creating other opportunities for generous spaces and strong physical and visual connections both internally and with the surrounding campus.
The building will play a central role at Downe House, both in terms of the accommodation that it will provide, and as a focal building in the wider context of the school campus. Our brief was for a new ‘Heart and Soul’ of the school.
Photography © Design Engine
Murray Centre at Downe House School in Berkshire images / information received 050219
Address: Downe House, Hermitage Rd, Cold Ash, Thatcham RG18 9JJ
Phone: 01635 200286
Founded: 1907
Location: Downe House, Hermitage Rd, Cold Ash, Thatcham, Berkshire, England, UK
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