Eaglewood Alternative Provision School
Eaglewood School is an Alternative Provision Free School providing young people with education and training outside of a mainstream setting. The school is located at the former Phoenix Youth Centre, a sensitive and constrained site within the greenbelt in Hampshire.
People & Communities
The new alternative provision school provides up to 72 new places to support emotionally vulnerable young people in Hampshire
Redeveloping an Existing SIte
The new school redevelops and extends the former youth centre into a space that allows students between the ages of 7-16 to build trust and develop relationships with others. The school has been designed with the emotional needs and wellbeing of the pupils at the heart of the project, and offers:
- small setting classrooms, with a calming feel.
- specialist teaching rooms
- a learning resources centre
- multiple sports facilities
Creating a Safe and Secure Learning Environment
Footprint Architects designed an environment for students with special educational needs to feel safe and supported whatever the issues they are facing.
For some students, mainstream schools can appear too big, busy, loud or just too confusing. Our architects recognise that when designing an alternative provision AP school one size does not fit all. Instead the building needs to offer a safe and welcoming environment that allows students to develop in different ways.
Corridors are wide, easy to navigate, with large windows at both ends to maximise daylight and offer clear lines of sight.
Classrooms have been laid out in a simple arrangement, and are both comfortable and calming. Large windows flood the classrooms with natural daylight and provide views across the surrounding countryside, promoting emotional wellbeing.
Sustainablity
We recognised the value of the existing building. Adapting and retrofitting the former youth centre to become part the new specialist alternate provision school saved 590 sqm of new build construction and the associated embodied carbon.
Reducing Optional Burdens
The new school building has been designed using a simple palette of materials, that are robust and easy to maintain. The uncomplicated red brick form provides familiarity and blue cladding offers a sense of identity.
Increased levels of insulation and airtightness reduces heating demand and operational carbon. Whilst mechanical ventilation with heat recovery MVHR provides fresh air to each classroom, offering an uplifting learning environment.
Flexibility
We recognise that the alternate provision school design requires a bespoke approach in order to provide a learning environment that meets the needs of both pupils and staff. Yet the school building must also offer flexibility to ensure that it can be easily adapted to future changing needs. At Eaglewood School our education architects provided flexibility throughout the design of the new school building by:
- Developing a design that could be built using either traditional or modern methods of construction MMC. This enabled both build methods to be priced and the most cost effective option chosen.
- Creating a range of classrooms with a simple arrangement that can be easily adapted for a wide range of uses.
Context & Place
Our architects sensitively integrated a bespoke new school building within a constrained greenbelt site, achieving planning permission
Relevant Projects
A vibrant Post 16 centre that promotes independence for young people with autism spectrum disorder ASD
The first purpose built special educational needs school of its kind in Bournemouth
Delivering bespoke special educational needs facilities for pupils with ASD and PMLD in under five months
Get Your Project Off The Ground
Get in touch today to kick-start your project. Let us know a few details and we’ll be in touch to discuss bringing your vision to life.
