Schools Brochure - Purcell 2024

SCHOOLS

ABOUT PURCELL

Architects, Masterplanners and Heritage Consultants

Purcell was founded on a belief that buildings and places matter to people.

This core principle continues to shape every Purcell project, from the largest urban regeneration programmes to small, beautifully crafted new buildings. Distinguished by the quality of our design, craftsmanship and attention to detail, our projects set a standard of excellence acknowledged throughout the industry and rewarded internationally with awards.

Our work is diverse in scale and type, ranging from district-scale conservation and renewal programmes such as Battersea Power Station and Manchester Town Hall to jewel-like new designs such as our RIBA Award wining extension to the chapel at Radley College.

School children during a community consultation for the Isles of Scilly Museum and Cultural Centre; new extension to the chapel at Radley College and refurbishment of the existing building; Purcell were heritage consultants and Brick Conservation Architects for Battersea Power Station; Heritage Action Zone Regeneration of a failing commercial street in Rochdale

ABOUT PURCELL

Our ethos and culture

Being an Employee Owned Trust allows us to invest in our people, understanding that our people are the key to our success.

We are committed to reviving and retaining the skills required to make long-lasting buildings with meaning, relevance and purpose for all of us. In 2016, we set up our annual Purcell Conservation School to ensure that Purcell’s legacy of conservation expertise continues into the next generation of architects and heritage consultants.

Each year we run a Design Programme, now in it’s seventh year, which includes colleagues from across our UK and Asia Pacific studios, to share ideas, collaborate and innovate without the constraints of a live project.

Our Classical Drawing School runs annually, initiated to hone and develop traditional hand drawing skills, further adding to our blended approach to the continued learning and development of our unique team of conservation and heritage experts.

Purcell Drawing Programme 2023 - Drawing X Scales; Purcell Conservation School at Canterbury Cathedral x 2;

ABOUT PURCELL

Places for people

Coupled with our commitment to the planet is our collective ambition to create places that make a difference to people’s lives. As an employee-owned trust of over 260 colleagues globally, we listen to each other to understand what drives and motivates us. Unanimously, we are committed to being a force for good for people and planet, in our own business operations and in the work we do for our clients.

We run apprenticeship programmes on live projects, mentoring schemes, and engage with youth and community groups at grass roots level, enabling a wide range of voices and opinions to help shape and form the future of heritage.

Conservation architecture is about more than restoring the fabric of buildings and can be instrumental in helping to shape the identity and spirit of a community. Many of our projects enable us to engage with diverse groups and we are immensely proud of our collaborations with people who are redefining the role that heritage can play in an accessible, inclusive future.

A Purcell-led ‘Shape My City’ workshop run by Creative Youth Network, Bristol for youth groups to engage with architecture and design; Apprentices working at Our Town Hall, Manchester; A community-led creative group, Project Artwork, Hastings, who are working with Purcell to transform a local building into an inclusive community arts hub, our creative reuse project transforming Sacrewell Watermill into a learning centre and local visitor attraction.

ABOUT PURCELL

Sustainability

Purcell grew out of the post-war conservation movement in response to the speed at which buildings were being demolished and replaced.

Over seventy-five years later, the world is on a path to climate catastrophe. In that time, Purcell has evolved into the largest team of heritage experts working in architecture, with offices throughout the UK, Australia and Hong Kong. We understand more than ever that conserving, reusing and extending what already exists and making new buildings that will last for generations are essential for the future of the planet.

We have committed to the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge, are signatories to Architects’ Declare in the UK and Australia, and Heritage Declares. We are holding ourselves accountable to these targets by measuring our net-zero carbon progress.

Today, our reputation is as much for the quality and craftsmanship of new buildings as it is for our expertise in adapting and renewing the old. We do both by blending traditional skills and knowledge with the latest thinking around sustainable retrofit and construction methods.

Our attention to detail and materials underpins our belief that approaches to sustainability are intrinsically linked to understanding and respecting building materials and performance whilst continuing to evolve traditional skills.

Purcell’s circular economy diagram; New visitor centre at Christ Church College, Oxford; New double-glazed windows and stone replacement at Ledston Hall, the first Grade listed building to gain consent for doubleglazing; Purcell’s fabric upgrades at Newcastle Cathedral include the first ground source heat pump to be installed in a UK Cathedral.

ABOUT PURCELL

Heritage innovation

We believe that true innovation goes hand in hand with the continued evolution of traditional skills. These skills have stood the test of time, continually developing and refining them over the years, and form the bedrock of our practice. We combine this knowledge with innovative technology.

Our in-house Building Information Management (BIM) specialists have earned international recognition as pioneers in harnessing this technology for the unique domain of heritage architecture (HBIM).

Our approach fuses digital technology and traditional skills. We integrate BIM tools in our workflow, allowing us to model, document and manage heritage sites and structures with precision and efficiency.

We are embracing Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) to augment our decision-making processes. We recognise that the power of human knowledge, cultivated through generations of experience, is invaluable. Combined with the intelligence and datadriven capabilities of technology, we can make even more informed choices.

On site at Boston Manor House, London using augmented reality to quality control restoration progress; using Revit and BIM to model the Centre for Refurbishment Excellence; using BIM in the restoration of Elizabeth Tower for Strategic Estates; the best technology of all, putting Pippa the Rothound into action to seek out wood rot in the roof at Bart’s Hospital, London

Our global project reach

Elizabeth Tower London, United Kingdom

Kersen Krenow

Bab Al-Azab Cairo, Egypt

Grytviken Whaling Station

British Overseas terrioty of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (South Atlantic)

Scott & Shackleton’s Huts

Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts Hong Kong

Private Residential Zhong Shan, China

Parliament of NSW Sydney Australia

The Bice Building Adelaide, Australia

Tasmanian Museum Hobart, Australia

“The environments that our children learn in make up the rich memories of their childhood. The right learning spaces are vital for their education, development and well-being.

At Purcell, we design, extend and conserve existing buildings and create the very best educational spaces to empower students and ensure their successful learning.”

Josh Greig, Associate Partner and Architect at Purcell

The new sports centre is a sensitive single-storey structure overlooking the pitches. Designed to echo the traditional vernacular barn architecture of Stamford, the new building uses Clipsham Limestone and a subtle black timber cladding. Two primary studios accommodate dance, pilates, yoga, and indoor cycling, while the high spec fitness suite opens out onto an outdoor terrace for wellbeing and mindfulness sessions. Four changing rooms provide capacity for 100 people and a separate ‘muddy entrance’ leads directly to the shower and changing facilities.

STAMFORD SCHOOL, LINCOLNSHIRE

Location: Stamford, Lincolnshire

Client: Stamford Endowed Schools

Expertise: Architecture and Design, Heritage Consultancy, Planning and Consents

Building period: New Build

Stamford High School’s aspiration was to enhance their sporting offer with a new sports centre on Kettering Road to sit alongside two new all-weather hockey pitches, and include a new dance studio and gym, along with associated changing spaces.

Purcell were architects and heritage consultants delivering this exciting project to widen participation, celebrate sport and inspire the next generation of athletes.

“Purcell Architects proved to be an exceptional partner during the design and planning process of the Wothorpe Sports Centre. Their diligence in creating a design that met our specific needs and requirements was impressive. Their team’s expertise and attention to detail helped ensure the success of the project. Throughout the planning process, Purcell Architects provided excellent support, ensuring that all necessary applications and approvals were obtained on time. We highly recommend Purcell Architects for their outstanding work, professionalism, and commitment to delivering high-quality architectural services.”

- Stewart D Dorey, Director of Estates & Facilities, Stamford Endowed Schools

STOWE HOUSE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

STOWE HOUSE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

Location: Stowe, Buckinghamshire

Client: Stowe House Preservation Trust

Expertise: Architecture, Conservation

Building period: Georgian

Stowe House in Buckinghamshire is recognised as one of the finest neo-classical buildings in the country. The Stowe House Preservation Trust (SHPT) own the 18th century Grade I listed building, which is occupied by Stowe School, whilst the National Trust care for the landscaped gardens. In 1999, the SHPT was awarded a major grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore the building at which point Purcell were appointed as heritage and conservation architects. The conservation and restoration programme has been almost continuous for over twenty years, culminating in 2023 with the restoration of the State Dining Room.

“Stowe House restoration is a massive project that began in 2000 and completed in 2023. Purcell has been involved from the beginning. The complexity of the task has taken the building from near dereliction in parts and on the Heritage at Risk register to the highest levels of scholarly conservation and restoration. It has covered the range from structural recreation through to the finest levels of gilding and painting with all related conservation trades. The task has been complicated by the continuous operation of the School necessitating recurring partial occupation and holiday time concentration.”

- Andrew Fane OBE, Stowe House Preservation Trust Chairman

Strategic planning for the project enabled us to prioritise the most urgent repairs. The cracked stonework on the north front and colonnades, and re-laying the roof slates were the first works undertaken. Subsequent stages included substantial repair of the spectacular marble saloon and central mansion roof before works began on the series of state rooms at Stowe. The library needed a new roof before internally damaged plasterwork could be repaired. The decorative ceiling painted by William Kent in the North Hall was conserved. The most recent and final state room to be brought back to its Georgian splendour is the spectacular State Dining Room.

RADLEY COLLEGE, OXFORDSHIRE

The project has delivered on this challenge, increasing the seating capacity of the Grade II* Listed Chapel by 30%, sensitively reordering and restoring its highly significant artefacts. Supporting school growth whilst maintaining the intimate quality of kinship found in the daily services was key to our design. The Chapel is the only place at Radley where the whole school congregates, making it the most intensley used and important space in the College.

A series of localised extensions that respected the integrity of the collegiate Chapel form were proposed, retaining the clerestory and stained-glass windows. The primary intervention is to the east end: a striking octagonal extension with a complex oak room design with a glazed lantern, providing space for the sanctuary and an opportunity for reordering. A sequence of apses on the north and south elevations faciltate additional rows of seats: combined with an extension to the gallery, our proposal delivers a total of 207 additional seats to provide a total of 807. These proposals respond to the Chapel’s exceptional architectural quality, style and principle building materials.

RADLEY COLLEGE, OXFORDSHIRE

Location: Radley, Oxfordshire

Client: Radley College

Expertise: Architecture and Design, Conservation

Building period: Victorian, 19th Century

The Radley College experience is centred around the school community living and working together on site, with daily services at the Chapel at the very heart of this. A decision by the college to increase their intake - primarily through assisted places - hinged on the condition that the school community could continue to gather as one in the Chapel on a daily basis.

With the Chapel already at maximum capacity (seating between 600 and 630) and the school’s future growth deemed ‘unthinkable’ without an extension to accommodate the new places, a solution was urgently needed. An invited design competition was decided upon as the best approch to find the right team to extend the chapel. and future-proofing this place of worship.

“Purcell are known for exceptional and imaginative work on heritage buildings and their design for our Chapel extension reinforced this reputation. The detailing and execution were outstanding under the most trying of circumstances and it is a building we are immensely proud of.”

- David Anderson, Estates Bursar, Radley College

KING’S ELY, CAMBRIDGE

Location: Ely, Cambridge

Client: The King’s School

Expertise: Conservation

Building period: Medieval, New Build

King’s Ely is an independent day and boarding school in the cathedral city of Ely, Cambridgeshire. It was founded in 970 AD and given its Royal Charter by King Henry VIII in 1541. The school sits in a prominent location, in the shadow of Ely Cathedral.

Over the centuries, the school has grown to number nearly 1,000 pupils. Purcell has worked at the King’s School over a number of years, both on historic buildings and new building projects. Three medieval buildings have been repaired and refurbished to serve as boarding houses, while new building projects include a lowenergy art and technology block and a new music school with a recital hall that can accommodate 100 people.

New Music School: The simplicity of the design for this new structure was a response to the building’s sensitive setting which was echoed in the organic palette and traditional materials. The new block sits on a raft foundation to safeguard the site’s archaeology.

School Library: Purcell converted a large derelict chamber over the medieval gateway into the cathedral close as the school’s library. The design incorporates a mezzanine floor into the chamber and integrates a contemporary design into the medieval fabric.

Art & Technology block: A new two-storey building was designed to house art and technology facilities for the school. The building compensates for the solar gain with concrete floors and heavy construction of the south roof-slope acting as thermal masses.

MASTERPLANNING

Client’s brief Purcell approach

Phase 1

Phase 1

Discovery

Phase 2

Options

Where are we now?

Phase 3

Masterplan

Phase 2

Where would we like to be?

Phase 3

How do we get there?

Malvern College Masterplan, Worcestershire Reading School Masterplan, Berkshire

Cheney School Masterplan, Oxford

Gresham’s Nursery & Prep School, Norfolk

RECENT AWARDS

95 Award wins in the

last 5 years

15

RIBA

Awards

in the last 5 years

Architect of the Year Awards

Employer of the Year 2022

2024

MANCHESTER MUSEUM

Civic Trust Award

2023/2022

RADLEY COLLEGE

RIBA National Award

RIBA South Award

RIBA South Conservation Award

RIBA South Building of the Year Award

Brick Awards, Supreme Winner, Contractors Choice Award and Craftsmanship Award

Building Awards, Small Project of the Year (up to £5m)

Oxford Preservation Awards, Building Conservation & Green Awards

World Architecture Festival, Shortlisted for Religious Buildings

NEWCASTLE CATHEDRAL

RIBA North East Award

BOSTON MANOR HOUSE

Civic Trust Award, AABC Conservation Award

BATTERSEA POWER STATION

Brick Awards, Innovation Award

World Architecture Festival, Mixed-use

MUSEUM OF OXFORD

Oxford Preservation Trust, Building Conservation and Small Projects

COBHAM DAIRY

RIBA Award, South East Conservation Award

GOD’S HOUSE TOWER

RIBA South Award

Purcell is a global, award winning practice, with a proven track record of success across industry and business awards.

SELECTED RECENT AWARDS

THE STORY MUSEUM

RIBA South Award

NORFOLK COUNTY HALL

Blue Badge Access Award

2021

KRESEN KERNOW

RIBA South West Award

Planning Award for Design Excellence

TAI KWUN CENTRE FOR HERITAGE AND ARTS

RIBA International Award

CHRIST CHURCH VISITOR CENTRE

Oxford Preservation Trust Award, New Buildings

HILDA BESSE, ST ANTONY’S COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

Oxford Preservation Trust, Building Conservation

ST CATHERINE’S COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

Oxford Preservation Trust, New Buildings Planning Awards, Design Excellence

THE STORY MUSEUM

Oxford Preservation Trust Award, Building Conservation

HOLYHEAD MARKET HALL

AJ100 (Architects’ Journal) Award for Community Impact

2020

THE GROVE HOTEL GLASSHOUSE RESTAURANT

International Hotel and Property Awards ‘Restaurant Within A Hotel’

HOLYHEAD MARKET HALL

RICS Social Impact Awards 2020 (Wales) - Heritage Winner

KRESEN KERNOW

Civic Trust Award

2019

MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL

International Hotel and Property Awards

Hotel Suite - Europe

Hotel Suite - Global

International Property Awards - UK Best Architecture

TAI KWUN: CENTRE FOR HERITAGE AND ARTS

UNESCO Asia-Pacific-Awards for Cultural Heritage ConservationAward of Excellence Winner

a&d China Awards - Architecture Remodelled Heritage (Excellence)

YR YSGWRN

European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award - Conservation

ST FAGANS MAIN BUILDING

Eistedfodd Awards - Gold Medal for Architecture (Winner)

Royal Society of Architects in Wales (RSAW / RIBA) Conservation Award

CROMFORD MILLS

RICS East Midlands Awards - Regeneration (Winner)

DURHAM CATHEDRAL OPEN TREASURE

Civic Trust Award AABC Conservation

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHAMPTON ENGINE SHED

Association for Industrial Archaeology - Best creative re-use of a building

PURCELL

Oxfordshire Prestige Awards - Heritage Consultancy of the Year (Winner)

Global Business Excellence Award - Outstanding Community Initiative

National Building Awards - Architectural Practice of the Year (Finalist)

CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL GREAT SOUTH WINDOW

National Stone Award

2018

BESPOKE ACCESS AWARDS: PURCELL

Purcell architects Raymond Higgins, Bruno Bernardo, Nicola Smith and Toby Massawe

ST FAGANS MUSEUM OF WELSH LIFE, CARDIFF

RICS Wales Tourism and Leisure (Highly Commended)

TROPICAL RAVINE, IRELAND

RICS Norther Ireland Building Conservation & Project of the Year

YR YSGWRN, SNOWDONIA

RICS Wales Building Conservation Award (Grand Final Winner)

2017

PURCELL

BD Architect of the Year (Finalist)

Refurbishment Architect of the Year (Finalist)

World Architecture 100 (WA100) 2017, Ranked 1 on Heritage List

World Architecture 100 (WA100) 2017 Ranked 88

BASE COURT, HAMPTON COURT PALACE, SURREY

Civic Trust Award AABC Conservation (Commended)

CARDIGAN CASTLE

Civic Trust Award AABC Conservation Channel 4 Restoration of the Year

ATTINGHAM PARK

Civic Trust Award AABC Conservation (Finalist)

DYRHAM PARK MANSION

Civic Trust Award AABC Conservation (Finalist)

RICS South West 2017, Building Conservation (Finalist)

CROMFORD MILLS

Europa Nostra Conservation Award

COMPTON VERNEY

RICS West Midlands Tourism and Leisure & Building Conservation (Finalist), RIBA West Midlands 2017 (Finalist)

SHEPTON MALLET & BURDEROP PARK

AJ100 Client of the Year (Finalist)

ST. LUKE’S CHAPEL, OXFORD

Oxford Preservation Trust Awards & Building Conservation Certificate

BLACKBURN CATHEDRAL QUARTER

RICS North West, Regeneration (Finalist)

ASSEMBLY HOUSE, NORWICH

RICS East of England, Tourism and Leisure (Finalist)

THE GROVE HOTEL, CEDAR SUITE

RICS East of England, Tourism and Leisure (Finalist)

CUPOLA HOUSE, BURY ST EDMUNDS

RICS South East Building Conservation (Finalist)

STOWE, BLUE ROOM

RICS South East Building Conservation (Finalist)

2016

BASE COURT, HAMPTON COURT PALACE, SURREY

RICS London Building Conservation, Building of the Year & London Tourism and Leisure (Finalist)

CARDIGAN CASTLE, WALES

RICS Wales Regeneration, Community Benefit, Tourism and Leisure & Project of the Year

CEDAR SUITE, THE GROVE HOTEL, LONDON

European Hotel Awards 2016 Event Spaces (Shortlisted)

The International Hotel & Property Awards 2016 (Shortlisted)

ELSECAR HERITAGE CENTRE, YORK

RICS Yorkshire and Humber Regeneration (Finalist)

RICS Yorkshire and Humber Tourism and Leisure (Finalist)

SACREWELL WATERMILL, PETERBOROUGH

RICS East of England Building Conservation, Tourism and Leisure

RICS East of England Project of the Year

WADDESDON BEQUEST, BRITISH MUSEUM, LONDON

RIBA London Award 2016

JOSH GREIG, ASSOCIATE PARTNER BA (Hons) MArchD RIBA

Josh leads the Education Sector from our Oxford Studio. Having delivered a number of award winning University, Collegiate and School projects, he brings experience from a range of projects, all within highly sensitive settings. Josh enjoys a complex brief and is passionate about creating sustainable, inclusive learning environments.

KEY EDUCATION PROJECTS

Reading School Masterplan, Berkshire Masterplan to sensitively aid future development

Radley College, Oxfordshire

Multi award-winning extension and refurbishment

Student Accommodation & Graduate Centre, St Catherine’s College

Design and delivery of new residential buildings and graduate centre

Hilda Besse Building, Oxford

A Modernist building repaired, enhanced, and future proofed

Malvern College Masterplan, Worcestershire

10-year masterplan, designed to diversify, maximise existing facilities and achieve Carbon Net-Zero targets

New College, University of Oxford

Delivering the design for a landmark new development including student accommodation and teaching spaces

Harcourt Arboretum Visitor Centre, Oxford

Developing plans for a proposed Visitor and Learning Centre

OTHER KEY PROJECTS:

Minley Manor, Surrey

Transforming a Victorian French Renaissance Manor House into a Luxury Hotel and Spa

Museum of Oxford, Oxford

A refurbishment including new exhibition space and accessible design

Wick Farm Redevelopment, Oxford

Adaptation, refurbishment and extension of a collection of existing buildings

Bridge Labs, Oxford

Creating a modern, sustainable employment space

Josh Greig | Associate Partner josh.greig@purcelluk.com

Oxford OX1 2BU

@purcelluk