Amesbury School Visual Arts Building

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The visual arts pavilion at Amesbury School is a striking single-storey, timber-framed block. The building provides a multifunctional space for the school’s expanded arts curriculum. The superstructure is formed of a series of timber portal frames with a timber grillage roof and cladding. The double height space is overlooked by a mezzanine level constructed from timber studs and joist, and is accessible via a plywood timber stair which cantilevers dramatically around the walls of the kiln room. The concrete pad foundations are located away from the tree root protection areas and the superstructure wraps around the retained trees.

Judge's comment:

This striking timber-framed block houses the school’s expanded arts curriculum, its superstructure formed by a series of timber portal frames with a timber grillage roof and cladding. The west elevation has a huge 17.5m glazed opening, a challenging feature for the designers.

The double height space is overlooked by a mezzanine level constructed from timber studs and joist, accessible via a plywood timber stair which cantilevers dramatically around the walls of the kiln room. The foundation arrangement was driven by the existing trees on site, and in an elegant detail one of the trees is retained within the building’s footprint.