Phoenix School

Bow, 2023

This project transforms what was the original school caretaker’s house, into a flexible set of teaching spaces for students with special educational needs. Sitting within Fairfield Road Conservation Area in Bow, East London, the project needed to preserve the existing fabric of the cottage and respect its street setting. The form of our proposed rear extension echoes the roof profile of the twin pitched roofs of the original 1920s building, with the contemporary addition expressing itself with the use of modern zinc cladding and glazed openings.

The interior spaces needed to be designed to very specific criteria set out for children with special educational needs, with the extension forming a new educational space where older children could learn how to live independently. The colour palette needed to be neutral and calming, while the technical detailing responded to very specific acoustic requirements.