WHAT architecture - London

ABT Play Model

ProgramEDUCATION
Scale sqm
LocationKennington, London
StageDesign
ClientLambeth Council
Budget€ 1500000
Design Year2012

Play England have recommendations about the amount of outdoor playspace required to synthesise indoor and outdoor learning: 7sqm per student. Whilst such guidelines are admirable what happens to inner city London Schools constricted by existing Victorian buildings? ArchBishop Tenison's School currently provides less than half of this spatial requirement. The WHAT_architecture proposal seeks not to demolish buildings to create outdoor play space but creates play space that works with the existing constraints. This is done in four ways:

  1. by stacking playing fields such that football is on  top of basketball which is on top of the weight room
  2. by using the existing building volumes and surfaces for events such as parcour and climbing
  3. by intensively programming every inch of outdoor ground for play
  4. by installing pop-up or artificial natures
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