School 360 Sugar House Island, East London Education Building, UK Education Photos

School 360, Sugar House Island

3 Oct 2022

Design: Penoyre & Prasad Architects

Location: Sugar House Lane, East London, England, UK

School 360, Sugar House Island, East London Building

View of School 360 along Cloud Street, towards the original ‘Sugar House’ to the rear:

Photos by Tim Crocker

School 360, Sugar House Island, London Building

Penoyre & Prasad, a studio of Perkins&Will, designs innovative new primary school to support new ways of learning

• School 360 is operated by the Big Education Trust and is sister to the Ofsted-rated ‘Outstanding’ School 21, in nearby Stratford.

• Its unique pedagogy will support Big Education’s aim of developing a more expansive education, that develops head (academics), heart (growth and well-being), and hand (creativity and problem-solving).

• Rooted in the community, School 360 is responsive to the diversity of local families and will support teaching children how to solve problems in creative ways, making a difference to the world around them.

• The school is designed with minimal corridors and maximised spaces for collaboration. Highly flexible classrooms are designed in pairs, enabling interaction with one other classroom, to accommodate larger workgroups and activities when needed.

London-based architecture practice Penoyre & Prasad, a studio of Perkins&Will, has designed a new 420-pupil primary school in Sugar House Island, East London. The new School will support the unique curriculum of the education provider, the Big Education Trust, and is sister to the Ofsted-rated ‘Outstanding’ School 21, in nearby Stratford.

There is a high demand for school places in East London where, in recent years, local schools have excelled in producing high performing students. School 360 aims to continue this legacy in the area, providing high quality teaching and a welcoming environment for local families.

The building has been designed specifically to support the school’s unique curriculum based on the three pillars of head, heart and hand: developing the head to provide rich knowledge and deep understanding; the heart to focus on wellbeing and relationships; and the hand to encourage every child to learn about creativity, problem-solving and the arts.

All classrooms interact with one other classroom to maximise spaces for collaboration

These three pillars were a key driver in informing the design and layout of the building and will encourage project-based learning, in a warm and welcoming environment. The classrooms are flexible and allow for quick layout changes to increase students’ engagement levels. This has been achieved by removing the traditional static teaching position, allowing an interactive screen to be positioned in many locations, and including movable walls between pairs of classrooms.

With external and project-based learning key to School 360’s pedagogy, the outdoor spaces, including the rooftop playground, have been designed for both recreational sports and outdoor learning.

Ground level outdoor play includes sheltered space for outdoor teaching:

The school offers students a variety of learning experiences and includes a range of spaces, such as a ‘Makerspace’ dedicated to arts, crafts, and technology; ‘Oracy Stairs’ on each floor, which offer informal seating and teaching space; and a flexible studio that has been designed for dance, sport, and performances. The school also boasts a dedicated room to cater to students with special educational needs (SEN).

With floor space of 2,413m2, and spanning over three storeys, the building sits on a highly complex, restricted urban site. The scheme is designed within a rectangular footprint as efficiently as possible, remaining respectful to its sensitive setting.

Outdoor play on the rooftop includes a community garden, MUGA and covered teaching space:

The outdoor play is located in two main areas. The rooftop includes a playground, community garden, and a multi-use games area (MUGA), whilst the ground floor playground provides more green spaces, including a ‘Forest School’ and an outdoor classroom for reading and group activities. Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms have direct access to the outside, with designated play areas for Reception and Year 1. The design has maximised the number of classrooms that have direct access to outdoor space by lifting the main hall and kitchen to the first floor.

The main entrance to the school includes a covered parking zone for 58 bicycles and additional scooter spaces. This complements Sugar House Island’s vision for the new, thriving community to prioritise walking and cycling around the site.

The building has been designed to reduce the school’s energy consumption. The building’s fabric is highly thermally efficient and airtight, windows are carefully sized and positioned to maximise daylight but limit overheating. Fittings and fixtures are efficient, low energy and water-saving. The school is mechanically heated and ventilated using an integrated air source heat pump. It is connected to the site-wide district heating network which provides low ‘carbon factor’ heat. The building has achieved a BREEAM rating of Very Good.

School 360 sits at the heart of Sugar House Island, a 26-acre mixed-use development in Stratford, East London. With centuries of history and industrial heritage, Sugar House Island is a distinctive urban environment with diverse architecture; a mixture of original and new buildings, providing homes, offices and retail spaces. The Island is bound by waterways, fronting Stratford High Street to its North and is a short walk from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Michael Cronn Head of Portfolio, Vastint UK, said: “The new school is an asset to local families and an integral part of the Sugar House Island community. As a people-centred neighbourhood, School 360’s values align with our mission to create a thriving and sustainable community with creativity and wellbeing at its heart.”

Sarah Seleznyov and Andrea Silvain, Co-headteachers, School 360: “The school building has been perfectly designed to enable us to implement the curriculum vision we had for the children, with its flexible working spaces, access to outdoor and creative spaces, and light airy classrooms, which promote wellbeing. ”

Mark Rowe, principal, Penoyre & Prasad, said: “It has been exciting to work with a school that puts collaborative and project-based activity at the heart of teaching and learning. This approach informed the design and layout of the classrooms in a way that removes traditional corridors and brings fluidity to classrooms. Not only is this a great tool for teaching and learning, but it also means that the building is flexible and can easily adapt and change well into the future.”

Penoyre & Prasad

Penoyre & Prasad is a design-led practice, with over 30 years of experience across many sectors. Their distinctive design approach is a direct response to the aims and ambitions of their clients and building users, resulting in functional, sustainable and award-winning buildings. In 2019, Penoyre & Prasad became part of global architecture and design firm Perkins&Will.

Sugar House Island

For more information on School 360, visit https://bigeducation.org/school360/. For further information on Sugar House Island, visit https://sugarhouseisland.com/.

School 360, Sugar House Island, East London, UK – Building Information

Design team:

Client: Vastint
Architect: Penoyre & Prasad
M&E & Sustainability: EDP Environmental
Structural Engineer: Gravity Consulting Engineers
Landscape Architect: Planit-E
Planning Consultant: GL Hearn
Fire Engineer: DFC and FSD
Acoustic Consultant: RBA
BREEAM Assessor: Energist
Ecology: CSA Environmental

Photographer: Tim Crocker

Key dates:

Project start: November 2019
Planning achieved: June 2020
Start on site: August 2020
Completion date: August 2021
Official opening date: November 2021
Project contract value: Confidential

External area: 2,703 m2 (excluding roof top plant enclosure)
Internal area: 2,413 m2 over three full storeys and a rooftop
playground and MUGA

Penoyre & Prasad

School 360, Sugar House Island, East London Building, England, images / information received 031022 from Penoyre & Prasad Architects

Location: Sugar House Island, Stratford, East London, England, UK

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