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Crouch Hill School

Radical solution that integrates educational needs with the demands of its sensitive context

Client

London Borough of Islington

Location

London, UK

Status

Competition

Discipline

Architecture

Sector

Education

Size

2 FE primary school with nursery

A competition to reimagine the vision for Crouch Hill School in Islington
A competition to reimagine the vision for Crouch Hill School in Islington
A competition to reimagine the vision for Crouch Hill School in Islington
A competition to reimagine the vision for Crouch Hill School in Islington
A competition to reimagine the vision for Crouch Hill School in Islington

Solution

Crouch Hill Community Park was a neglected piece of Metropolitan Open Land on which Islington Council wished to relocate Ashmount Primary School and Bowlers Nursery. The north London site, part of an existing linear park formed by a disused railway line from Finsbury Park to Highgate, needed to retain its open public access while safely accommodating a new school.

Although unrealised, tp bennett’s scheme provided a radical solution, integrating educational needs with the demands of this sensitive context. The design placed the school in a gently sloping embankment, screening the building with trees and shrubs and creating a seamless visual relationship between park and school.

Internally, the school continued the park’s linear form, with teaching spaces to the northern section, communal spaces to the south, and an entrance area acting as the school’s hub. Each area had secure separate access while allowing community access to sports facilities and maintaining public routes through the park. The practice also proposed improvements to the park, including planting and water features, adding further stimulation for students while enhancing the environment.