4 July 2011

Trinity School, in Lewisham, has won best Educational Project at the London District Surveyors Association Annual Building Excellence awards.

Handed over on time, and formally opened by Archbishop John Sentamu, Trinity School (originally known as Northbrook School) is the third project Costain has completed as part of the Lewisham Building Schools for the Future programme. 

Within a tight residential footprint of only four and a half thousand metres, the Costain design and build team developed a 600-pupil secondary school for 11 to 16 year olds. Its curved form on plan and stepped-back storeys maximise volume whilst minimising overshadowing to the neighbouring properties.  Owing to the limited external space, the building also incorporates a second floor terrace accessible to the school staff and pupils, which can be used for outside learning. 

The innovative structural design utilises flat concrete post-tensioned slabs to reduce building height but maintains building services flexibility to the soffits underneath.  The building incorporates many environmental design aspects, including flood void storage underneath and mixed mode natural ventilation.

Trinity achieved ‘Excellent’ under the BRE’s Environmental Assessment Method, one of very few school building projects in the country ever to have achieved such a high score.  The building is fully accessible with ramps to all entrances, and Braille to signs internally.

The Lewisham Borough Building Control officers were impressed with the project’s design achieving building regulations through these innovative means and also the engagement with the school and site visits for pupils, and the ongoing liaison with the local community.

 

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