Osborne School, Winchester, UK
With 170 pupils from 11-18 years old (including boarders) attending, Osborne School is one of the UK’s largest Secondary Special Schools for children with complex learning difficulties.
The building had to cope with a sloping site, an adjacent railway cutting, neighbouring Romano-British cemetery, 800mm city water mains crossing the site and nesting piperstrelle bats. This led to a compact linear plan giving a ‘Light’ 2 storey classroom block addressing playing field; a ‘heavy’ communal/support spaces as buffer to the railway; a central atrium ramp/street together with stairs and a lift as the central circulation. Externally the building incorporated insulated fabric to exploit the thermal mass of the structure, included good daylight and passive ventilation.
As part of the interior design, artist Michael Bould worked with the architects to create a work “showing how architectural drawings which appear precise and linear, are deeply textured, interwoven with the many ideas that go into making a building. The drawn line can be seen to take on additional dimensions and volume as it links different groups of people, becoming the focus for a community.”
The building was completed in August 2003, and has won a Commendation at the Civic Trust Award’s 2005, was an RIBA Award 2004 Winner and an Award Winner at the City of Winchester Trust Ltd. Design Awards, 2004.
