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Hillhead Primary School

Hillhead Primary School was commissioned by Glasgow City Council as part of their new primary school building programme. This is the second urban primary we have designed –the first being at St Aloysius Primary in Garnethill. Both are award winning (Scottish Design Awards http://www.ramboll.co.uk/news/viewnews?newsid=00FA703E-BEEB-4335-AC60-8643506DFE99) and published projects, enjoyed by their school communities. The challenge of the brief was to design a school that fitted well into its urban environment but recognised that the site had rural aspects that could be harnessed to enhance the environmental and learning experience for the children. The school was designed for 600 pupils coming from 4 different schools in the West End of the city.
 The site chosen was unique sitting between Gibson Street and Kelvingrove Park;
the topography of the site and the location of an existing cottage saw the school being composed in two parts –a teaching block and community block.
 The two parts are linked by a translucent bridge structure under which cars can reach an underground car park which supports a playground or public space onto Gibson street.
 Features of the build include: i) design of the teaching block with passive stack ventilation; ii) creation of a cladding system and envelope that would respect the different conditions of the site; iii) design of the playground/public space that is the interface at Gibson street; iv) addition of a green roof to the teaching block which attenuates but also allows the building to sit in greater harmony with its surroundings. Urban and rural elements are well balanced and the design allows the school to engage with the new Curriculum for Excellence.