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For those clients who confuse weight and bulk as a
sign of value-for-money this is not really great news.
It’s very light and light-filled. It is almost the craft
that floats in the landscape. Did that present
problems in terms of selling this idea of a light
building without the apparent massing and
gravitas?
No. I must say that the client was very supportive
of our ideas and our proposal. Initially, there was
probably a fear of using glass in a school building
and of students being easily distracted. There is that
tradition that you have four masonry walls. Whatever
fears they had quickly disappeared. Students these
days multi-task and are aware of where they are.
Having such transparency has helped create the
calm some people thought might be lost and that
visual connection is a key to that result.
The combination of light reflective
materials and warm timber contributes
to the experience of light-filled,
uplifting spaces.
It goes beyond just weighing in with a particular
material. It really comes down to intelligent and
creative material use doesn’t it? The ratio of glass
sees it as such a significant material in the
whole envelope.
We started with a deep-plan building and then set to
work greening the deep plan—creating connections,
views and daylight penetration. That gave the
building a whole different sensibility and experience.
On an economy scale, the most efficient way to
build is a square. Then there are issues that don’t
work well, in terms of site connections, views and
daylight. I think that’s very rare that you don’t need
transparency or connection with the outside world.