Project Facts

Location: Hackney, London
Year of Completion: 2008
Client: DfES and UBS Investment Group
Architect: BDP
Size: 15,000m2
Pupils: 1150 
Construction Sum: £33M [2008]

The Bridge Academy in Hackney, designed by BDP, has won the SCALA* Civic Building of the Year Award. The award was announced at SCALA's annual conference and exhibition, held in Edinburgh on Friday 6 November, which focused on the theme 'Public Architecture - Regeneration'.

The objective of the civic building competition is to promote the construction of high quality public buildings and formally honour excellence in design and construction. The Bridge Academy was shortlisted along with 13 other civic projects, from an original list of 120, all completed during the past year.

The judging panel commented on the winning building: "Conceptually stunning, this inspirational design makes excellent use of a small challenging site set in a large residential area along side a canal. The creative use of natural light with the tiered sectional plan form enables maximum use to be made of every square metre of space."

Overview

Designed in an area undergoing widespread regeneration, Bridge Academy provides a much-needed burst of colour and dynamism. Looking at the building from the outside, its ark-like timber-clad form appears like cupped hands around the building. At the back of the school the facade is peeled away to reveal a ziggurat of balconies and ETFE-covered central space shown in the architectural photography. The dynamic nature of the building gives the impression that there are always things going on inside, which is quite an achievement considering that the phased use of the building means that only two years of students currently inhabit the space. The school is cleverly built onto a very tight site, with 7 storeys of accommodation built above and below the ground and still providing a series of external spaces that can accommodate a range of play activities. Although the structural gymnastics of the large circular steel beams dominate the central spaces illustrated in the attached architectural photography, this web of steel does provide a dramatic heart space for the school, unhindered by columns.

 

Themes

Integrated flexibility for space and learning

The generous scale of circulation and ancillary spaces at Bridge Academy along with the sculptural qualities of the central spaces is rarely seen in schools and has the feel of a high specification civic building. This echoes the school's aim of playing a central role in the community learning activities of the neighbourhood and de-institutionalising the school.

The focus of the building is the central entrance hall, dining area and Learning resource area suspended above. Together these areas provide places to gather, assemble, eat and socialise. They also combine to provide a central circulation and orientation point as illustrated in the bottom two rows of architectural photography images below. This combined space contributes towards the architects design of 'schools without corridors'.

There are a range of external learning decks on all floors of the building, providing an outlet for many learning spaces. Although not always directly accessible from a classroom, the decks offer potential for break out activities. The use of the decks has not really been explored at the present time, but as more pupils inhabit the school they will become increasingly in demand.

 

Integrated social and physical context

Bridge Academy has a wide range of high quality facilities that are accessible to the community in different ways. The sports hall is built to Olympic standards and will act as the training base for teams at the 2012 Olympics as well as the wider community, whilst the high-spec. autonomous theatre space is flexible enough to accommodate a range of performance activities.

Due to its elevated position, the views out from many parts of the school provide long views across the city, providing a much broader outlook for students, rather than focusing on their immediate surroundings.

 

Innovative solutions to specific areas or smaller spaces

The schools's performance space is separated from the main building by an open walkway, leading to a rooftop play space. Inside, the performance space uses the surrounding canal as a backdrop. The theatre can be divided into two by a sliding partition, creating a studio space whilst maintaining a workable performance space shown below in the architectural photography. The integration of bleacher seating into both spaces is very well considered.

The entrance foyer includes a glass-fronted interview room, that is not unusual in an office building, but at a school it sets an agenda for openness and transparency, far removed from images of pupils sitting in a featureless corridor outside the headteachers office. 

Summary