A new lease of life for the Higher Close buildings............... Sustainability
In the Friends Newsletter in May this year we described the plans of Schumacher College with regard to the future growth of their education programmes. These plans include the introduction of a Masters programme in Economics and more courses focusing on skills for sustainable land use and green building. In addition Schumacher College is introducing open learning and outreach programmes in collaboration with a network of partner organisations around the world. Whilst these new activities are being established, Schumacher College will be moving from its present home at the Old Postern up to the Higher Close buildings, recently vacated by the College of Arts and situated alongside the main Dartington Hall carpark opposite the courtyard entrance. The Trust and Schumacher College have just announced that they have chosen the local practice of Roderick James Architects to undertake the design work for the adaptation, extension and remodelling of the Higher Close buildings to create the new Schumacher College campus close to the heart of the Dartington estate. Information on their philosophy and examples some of their other projects can be found at www.roderickjamesarchitects.co.uk. Roderick James himself was the first director of the Centre for Alternative Technology at Machynlleth and was the founder and chairman of Carpenter Oak.
The bid put forward by Roderick James Architects was c o n s i d e re d a l o n g s i d e t h re e others, from a shortlist of seven firms. Their initial proposal inspired the selection panel with its promotion of indoor and outdoor learning space, imaginative adjustments of residential capacity and a natural approach to improving the look and feel of the site within its landscape setting.
The panel selec ting the architec ts consulted staff and current Schumacher programme participants as well as friends in the local community. Further consultation will take place as the designs are developed.
The Dartington Hall Trust is making an investment of around £2.4m towards the building work and a programme investment of £1.2m over the
An illustrative sketch submitted by Roderick James Architects when bidding for the commission to design the upgrading and adaptation of the Higher Close buildings
next five years to support this exciting development of Schumacher College’s work and accommodation. The Trust will be launching a major fundraising campaign to secure these funds from individuals, trusts and foundations, corporations and other sources. Charlie McConnell, Director of Schumacher College and Chair of the Project Planning Group, reports that they are now working closely with the architects on the detailed design with the objective of being able to make a submission to the planning authority in 2011.
Tagore 150 : A Year of Celebration - ‘Gitanjali‘ - 1st-7th May 2011 at Dartington Hall To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Tagore’s birth, the Dartington Hall Trust, in conjunction with the magazine Resurgence and Satish Kumar, have programmed 12 months of activities in 2011. At the heart of this year of celebrations is Gitanjali, a week long people’s festival of arts, crafts and culture exploring how Tagore’s vision resonates with our lives and times today. During the week there will be talks, debates, lectures, performances, demonstrations, discussions and film screenings. For more details see the website at www.dartington.org/tagore150 and future publicity from Dartington.