Heart of the Forest Community Special School

Quattro was initially appointed to undertake a Feasibility Study to explore layout options for the expansion of the school. The successful appointment resulted in Quattro providing further Architectural Services.

Through close consultation with the school community, Quattro has skilfully reorganised the school, adding classrooms, a new hall and specialist areas whilst creating a linked but clear separate identity for the Post 16 building.

The Challenge

Heart of the Forest Community school specialises in the education, care and informed therapeutic delivery for children and young adults aged 2 – 19 years. Pupils attending the school have special needs described within the framework of Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD), Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) and Complex Needs.

Quattro’s education architects were initially appointed to undertake a Feasibility Study to explore layout options for the expansion of the school. The successful appointment resulted in Quattro providing further Architectural Services achieving planning permission to extend the existing 70 place school to 100 pupils and create a specialist Post 16 unit.

Our Solution

Through close consultation with the school community, Quattro has skilfully reorganised the school, adding classrooms, a new hall and specialist areas whilst creating a linked but clear separate identity for the Post 16 building.

In order to achieve a sustainable low energy building, early design work was carried out with the M&E consultants to allow the environmental modelling to test and influence the building form and orientation. Sustainable Architectural practices were adopted with the design achieving high levels of insulation and an airtight structure with controlled natural ventilation throughout. Quattro specified local materials for external cladding; the energy for heating is supplied from a biomass boiler; water conserving fittings and waste management. An innovative external walling insulation material ‘hempcrete’ was trialled on the nursery block.

The building works were phased over 2 years and completed on time and to budget.

Due to our excellent relationship with the school and our highly successful Special Needs School Design, Quattro has been commissioned for other proposed projects on the Heart of the Forest site, including:

Feasibility Study for submission to LSE for creation of separate Post 16 and Post 19 units on school site
Feasibility Study for developing site-based community project (Forest Pulse) supporting young people with disabilities to provide youth centre and adventure playground.