Harmeny Education Trust – The Learning Hub Building

We are looking forward to commencement of ‘The Learning Hub Building’ for the Harmeny Education Trust.

 

The Learning Hub sits within the curtilage of the existing Category B listed building and will deliver a suite of new spaces designed to add secondary age group learning and community engagement programmes to Harmeny’s existing learning facility. The new building will include vocational classrooms, art and workshop spaces, and a bike workshop as well as a series of multi-functional internal and external areas to support the expansion of Harmeny’s specialist care and education services.

 

Education design should be tailored to students, but school architecture can also benefit from the natural landscape. The building looks to make the most of a very beautiful glade in a clearing of trees with its ‘L’ shaped plan and covered external areas to create a sense of enclosure and intimacy within the woodland setting. We have designed a building to minimise the loss of any trees, meaning that the building sits carefully within its beautiful setting. The existing trees will provide cover and a sense of enclosure for the outdoor classroom spaces. The learning spaces are designed to look out into the woodland and provide a sense of peace and tranquillity for the students. This will support Harmeny’s highly experiential model of learning and create an uplifting environment for students and staff alike.

 

Neil Squires, Chief Executive of the Harmeny Education Trust said: “We are delighted with the Learning Hub design, which will be a beautiful and inspiring addition to our estate. Not only will the new building provide opportunities for Harmeny to grow as an organisation but, more importantly, it will enable us to help more disadvantaged young people reach their potential.”

 

Design team: Harley Haddow, PMP, SJM Architects, Armour Consulting, Waddell Armstrong and Principal CDM