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The Orchard Building|
Bedales > New Buildings > The Orchard Building |
The Orchard Building
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The Orchard Building was commissioned in 2003 from architects Walters & Cohen and completed, on time and on budget, in August 2005. It contains 60% of the teaching space in the school as well as the central administrative offices and the main entrance and reception.
The school’s values shaped both the design of the Orchard Building and the handling of the whole design and construction project. more ... Architectural heritage The form and materials of the Orchard Building contain deliberate echoes of Bedales’ other landmark buildings, especially the Memorial Library and Olivier Theatre. more ... Excellent value The Orchard Building cost about the same, per square metre, as any state school. As the RIBA Awards Group judges said, it is “high spec but not indulgent”. more ... The environment Natural heating, ventilation and lighting are used as far as possible. more ... A space for people The new atrium and the many informal spaces around the building encourage people to meet, or to sit and work, singly or in groups. more ... Integrating the whole site For the first time, the school has a proper front door. The main entrance leads you, visually and literally, into the heart of the school. more ...
Bedales was founded in 1893 as a visionary alternative to the rigid and authoritarian regimes in other independent schools at that time. Bedales’ founder, J H Badley, believed in developing the whole person: ‘head, hand and heart’. And every individual, whether a pupil or member of staff, shared responsibility for the well-being of the school community. Badley’s principles were crucial in shaping both the design of the Orchard Building and the handling of the whole project. They give the building a unique Bedales flavour and explain why it immediately looks at home amongst the other key buildings at the school, especially the library and the theatre. We try always to consult widely, and we regarded the whole Orchard project as a collaboration. There were regular meetings of the teachers steering group, to define the brief, and then with the architects and the contractors throughout the project. Students have been involved via symposiums, assemblies by architects, and workshops. When we held the competition to appoint architects, we were not looking for a preconceived design: we were looking for people who would work with us to create a building that embodies the values of the school – and this is what we have achieved. The finished building functions well; it feels right; and the process has been friendly, creative and inspiring throughout. Back to "In the Spirit of Bedales" Bedales has a powerful Arts and Crafts tradition, epitomised in the Memorial Library (one of the last works by Edward Gimson, 1921). The double-height library, with open galleries at first-floor level; the use of wood for the structure as well as the floor and the furniture; the barn-like proportions; pitch of the roof; and even the height of the external parapet – all these features are echoed in the Orchard Building. From the school’s Olivier Theatre (1997, by architects Fielden Clegg Bradley) the architects took the use of Siberian larch for exterior cladding. Planning guidelines in Hampshire, as well as the nature of Bedales’ other key buildings, determined that the Orchard Building should have a pitched roof and be not more than two storeys high, but Walters & Cohen have cleverly exploited the roof space to include a third floor of teaching rooms, providing 50% more floor space on the same footprint. The third-floor rooms have been especially popular, with their tall sloping ceilings and stunning views across the estate.
Back to "In the Spirit of Bedales" The Orchard Building cost just under £7.5 million: about the same, per square metre, as any state school and less than schools in the city academies programme. For a building of this quality, this is far from extravagant. The teaching rooms are larger than in state schools, so that classes of 12 or 24 can be taught with the desks in a square or a U – which is how some Bedales staff prefer it – but the building is actually quite simple and basic: steel and concrete frame, block walls, wooden superstructure and floors, stainless steel roof. To see photos taken during the construction, click here. Back to "In the Spirit of Bedales" We were very concerned about the environmental impact of the building. The Orchard Building contains conventional central heating for mid winter, but for much of the year it relies on natural warming and ventilation. Large windows on the south let in sunlight, and the classrooms are sited on the north, so that they receive an even light. Electric lighting in teaching rooms adjusts according to the level of natural light that is available, and switches itself off when rooms are unoccupied. Concrete-block interior walls absorb and release heat slowly; computer-controlled windows, with coated glass, prevent over-heating.
Photo: Giovanni Bonfanti Back to "In the Spirit of Bedales" The new atrium serves as a sort of interior piazza, a place where people will naturally mingle and chat. The building also has lots of informal spaces where two, three or half a dozen students can meet, or set up their laptops and study. It remains in use throughout the day and evening. In short, it enhances the idea of community – a concept that expresses perfectly the spirit of Bedales.
Photo: Giovanni Bonfanti Back to "In the Spirit of Bedales" The new building gives the school, for the first time, a visible and imposing main entrance. The brick floor runs in a straight line from the entrance canopy right through the atrium and out on the far side to the library steps, then on towards the Quad, the main assembly hall. This strong axis is visible through two sets of glass walls; it leads people, visually and literally, right into the heart of the school.
Photo: Giovanni Bonfanti A cross-axis, leading to the theatre, will be established by Phase 2 of the Orchard Development. In this way unity is brought to a collection of highly individual buildings. Planning consent has already been obtained for Phase 2, which will accommodate Art, Design and Technology. Back to "In the Spirit of Bedales"
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