Caldicott School ← Works ← Henley Halebrown

Caldicott School Buckinghamshire 2001–2004

The Performing Arts building combines a hall, three classrooms, a meeting room and a common room. The scheme embodies three theatres: the quad (the civic place for street performance) the hall (the conventional model for theatre) and the landscape.

‘If you look at the building through the eyes of a theatre director, it comes alive with unexpected entrances and exits and dramatic possibilities (and wonderful soft acoustics).’ Eleanor Young, 2005

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The scheme creates a new quad at the heart of the school
The hall is partially submerged to reduce its bulk, preserve views and mitigate any loss of light to the surrounding buildings
New performing arts building in context between the original house and a classroom block
Quad level plan
The hall frames the view of the school grounds from the quad
East facade of hall and tower - the forms and materials (brick, copper and timber) suggest both an abstract and an English architecture
Hall during a rehearsal
Inside, heavy timber beams, brick walls, a parquet floor and large expanses of glazing characterise the space
Outdoor amphitheatre, the third performance space - the scheme transcends its function reconnecting the life of the school with the landscape providing a backdrop day-to-day and for performances
Details of the south elevation
Pupils playing under the pergola
Performing arts building seen from the playing fields at dusk

architects Henley Halebrown

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Technical

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