Innovative Classroom Solution

Work has recently been completed on a modular classroom unit at Fairfield Park Lower School in Stotfold, Hertfordshire.

Pupil numbers are steadily increasing due to housing development in the surrounding area, and PCMS was asked by the Headteacher to come up with a sensitive solution to an immediate problem: how to cater for another classroom of children quickly and on a restricted budget.

A limited amount of space was available in the school grounds adjacent to existing buildings, just enough for the construction of a 90m2 modular unit. However, because the School is in an architecturally sensitive area, the challenge was to devise a building that complied with stringent design guidelines. Very careful consideration had to be given to the external design and specification of the building, and a novel solution was to construct a wall in front of the most visible elevation in order to screen the modular unit from view (see photo). Aluminium windows from floor to ceiling provide lots of natural light.

Jenny Stone, Headteacher at Fairfield Park, said “We are delighted that the classroom could be designed and built so quickly. The site has space limitations and conservation issues, but PCMS found a solution that worked for the school and also satisfied the local planning authority.”