The Re:Design Option - Victorian Building

Victorian School Building Darroch

Designers:

Space Strategies

Pollokshields

Govanhill

Govan

These buildings can be reinvigorated allowing their value in a whole place context to be enhanced. These victorian schools are important landmarks in our urban landscape which evoke memories, pride and belonging. The counter is to consider the effect and negative impact on our communities when they are left derelict.

Darroch is not unique: the challenges of this building are repeated in other victorian schools. The opportunities to intensify space use through the similar interventions and use of mezzanines could could easily apply to these similar buildings.

This study is intended to explore potential to invest in such buildings and create a new lease of life to the existing building stock in our communities.

SPACE Strategies have been considering this victorian building in the context of interventions, exploring how these could transform and revitalise such a building to be fit for the needs of new and flexible learning methodologies being explored in the new schools programmes projects across Scotland.

Darroch: Re-imagining the possibilities of a victorian urban school

Darroch

The school in the Community The community in the school

Whole place campus approach:

demand and context analysis

creating a learning environment with a whole place community focus to respond to demand criteria of C21 education

reinvention

links and re-imagining other derelict parts of the urban landscape

the school in the community: The community in the school

memories, emotions, understanding of place, familiarity, pride

in the heart of the community

listed and civic presence

rationalising the mezzanines: Ease of way finding and understanding

mezzanines: reducing environmental impact, less carbon cost per person occupation

mezzanines: increasing capacity and scale of community potential

height: Creating a valuable entrance experience

height: Mezzanines creating 3D connectivity and transparency between activities

light and air, great communal opportunity

large volumes

building extension and reconfiguration

exploiting mezzanine potential

intensifying space use

interventions

Listed and civic presence

cellular / closed nature

Intimidating approach experience

Navigation and Understanding

supply analysis

Connectivity and transparency across the footprint

Large volumes (environmental impact, mood and feel)

Emergency egress compliance

Limitations on scale of community

Small footprint

creating a learning environment with a whole place community focus to respond to demand criteria of C21 education

reinvention

links and re-imagining other derelict parts of the urban landscape

the school in the community: The community in the school

memories, emotions, understanding of place, familiarity, pride

in the heart of the community

listed and civic presence

rationalising the mezzanines: Ease of way finding and understanding

mezzanines: reducing environmental impact, less carbon cost per person occupation

mezzanines: increasing capacity and scale of community potential

height: Creating a valuable entrance experience

height: Mezzanines creating 3D connectivity and transparency between activities

light and air, great communal opportunity

large volumes

building extension and reconfiguration

exploiting mezzanine potential

intensifying space use

interventions

Listed and civic presence

cellular / closed nature

Intimidating approach experience

Navigation and Understanding

supply analysis

Connectivity and transparency across the footprint

Large volumes (environmental impact, mood and feel)

Emergency egress compliance

Limitations on scale of community

Small footprint

matching supply and demand

functional pavilion to service cafe spaces

entry improvements with transparent pavilion celebrating learning activity, the community in the school, a garden courtyard approach

the central void creating a heart at the entrance point

void giving transparency and connections between activities vertically

glazed link ensures lobby approach whilst maintaining optimal use of mezzanines for learning activity

clear toilet cores

use of existing double volumes to enhance transparency

additional area to the mezzanine footprint

an open approach to the footprint, the building stripped back to structure, spaces suited to cohorts in more flexible settings: a more flexible approach to the footprint

a new lift shaft

exploiting the volume

a new escape stair: connectivity in a multi storey approach

roof reconfiguration: Staff accommodation

interventions

first floor mezzanine

second floor

ground floor mezzanine

first floor

ground floor

space planning: testing opportunities

roof space

courtyard garden approach a student social space external and sheltered, space planned for meaningful activity, lockers exploiting the volume, views to activity above shafts providing connectivity between levels and transparency into activity, flexible learning opportunities community LRC and information cafe

3 4

5 6

7

2

1

5

1

6

4

space planning: testing opportunities

3

an inviting approach, learning and community visible everywhere

2

7

visual connections horizontally and vertically, a heart to the campus

1

key space planning principles tested against learning settings

approach

LRC and cafe in context

voids

entrance experience

matching supply and demand

visual connections

mezzanines & egress