EDUCATION
UK’S FIRST PASSIVHAUS SECONDARY SCHOOL The pioneering Harris Academy Sutton is the UK’s first Passivhaus secondary school and the largest Passivhaus school in the UK. new building forms the cornerstone T heof the London Cancer Hub, featuring world-class research and treatment facilities. The school has a special focus on the science disciplines, aiming to inspire scientists of the future and building links with employment partners to enhance student experience and support the transition to further education with university-style learning. The scheme is also one of the largest educational projects in the UK to have a structure made predominantly from cross-laminated timber (CLT), together with glulam beams, with only the ground floor – partially submerged under the sloping site – constructed from concrete.
Value for students and community Accommodating up to 1275 students from ages 11 to 18, Architype has developed a wayfinding strategy including connecting lightwells and coloured stairs to help pupils navigate the new space. Copper has been used as a visual separation for the areas of the building which are multi-use, serving the public as well as students. For example, the stunning 715m2 sports hall is clad almost
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entirely with copper and internally finished with exposed timber. The facility will be used by students as well as local residents after hours, contributing to the healthy living values of the wider site. Classrooms are light and inspiring with optimised spatial orientation – the result of extensive daylight, noise, transport and ecology surveys conducted by Architype. The teaching accommodation spans over four storeys, including 11 labs to suit the STEM school’s science-focused aspirations. A flexible demonstration lab can accommodate up to 60 students to encourage participation in extra-curricular research and national events, such as British Science Week. CLT roofs reflect the natural harmony of the building, with non-toxic materials providing exemplary air quality and environmental credentials. The central spine of the school has alternating wings and halls to provide an optimised massing. This dynamic layout maximises the site’s useable external areas with terraced seating and social courtyards, further adding to the knowledge sharing and ‘university campus’ feel of the scheme.
Design process The floor slabs were designed to bear only on external walls, glulam structure and central spine CLT walls, made possible by large continuous CLT panels. As a consequence, internal walls can be added or taken away to reflect changes to teaching methods or uses that change over time. Exposed soffits show the timber, helping the design language to be easily understood. Architype’s designs incorporate the circular economy of the structure; the bolted connections to the glulam frame can be dismantled and reused at the end of its life. Additionally, the exposed timber structure makes the building more lightweight, assisting in reducing the need for piled foundations, which significantly reduced the embodied carbon of the building.
Biophilia and designing for wellbeing The design’s Passivhaus approach is in line with the council’s ‘One Planet Living’ strategy and low carbon targets. Extensive public and authority consultation has helped to shape the building‘s volume to minimise its visual and overshadowing impact on its neighbours, as the building steps down to the north, and to form the local infrastructure plans and improvements, including encouraging staff, pupils and parents, to take sustainable routes to the school.
