We are thrilled to announce that Rotherhithe Primary School has won a RIBA London Award. Many congratulations to the school and Southwark Council for their visionary approach, and to the design team led by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.
The jury praised the ‘school within a garden’ concept, where the landscape acts as an extension of Southwark Park, wrapping a planted habitat corridor around the school building to provide a positive green outlook and restorative learning environment for pupils.
The scheme enhances biodiversity, with a rich and diverse planting palette that is unusual for a school setting. Based on the new paradigm of naturalistic planting, it uses palettes of dry steppe species in sunny areas and woodland understorey in shade. Evergreen shrubs are used sparingly for occasional background structure, with herbaceous perennials, groundcovers, deciduous shrubs and multistem trees providing a rich mosaic of habitats and interest. Existing retained trees were incorporated into the landscape to preserve their biodiversity benefits and the mature setting they provide.
The planting palette is drought-resistant to minimise watering requirements to the driest periods of drought only and a wide variety of new tree species were used in an effort to reduce loss from future disease threats. Due to the school’s central London location, the selection included climate-resilient (drought and heat resistant) species such as Cercis, Parrotia, Gleditsia and Koelreuteria. Heat vulnerable species, such as Birch, were avoided. Complex planting mosaic such as this also helps reduce urban pollution, which was a key concern of the school, especially when combined with plants with a large surface area, such as grasses and hairy leaves.
Ecological enhancements such as this are seen not only as a duty to nature, but also as enrichment for the pupils, many of whom come from tower blocks in the surrounding densely populated urban area. A new forest school area has woodland planting with hazel trees, wildflower meadow, den building kits, a timber trim trail and an outdoor teaching gazebo. Large, timber-framed grow beds are located on the south side of the school, providing space for herbs, vegetables and flowers planted by the pupils. A mud kitchen in the early years garden encourages interaction with soil, bugs and plants; and the central courtyard is well-stocked with sensory herb garden staples, such as a variety of mints, resulting in a colony of day-flying mint moths moving in within the first year.
All photos © Hufton+Crow
