Regional award for £6.2m revamp of special school
Dorothy Goodman School is now located off Barwell Lane INNOVATIVE DESIGN HONOURED FOR ITS SOCIAL IMPACT
THE £6.2 million transformation of a special needs school has earned a regional award.
Dorothy Goodman School, in Hinckley, was designed to bring large amounts of natural daylight deep into its heart.
The use of three “roof cones” and a range of rooflights, plus a sensory courtyard, help make the building bright and airy for pupils with a wide variety of special educational needs and disabilities.
The innovative design has been honoured with an inaugural Social Impact Project of the Year award from the RICS (Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors).
The East Midlands awards attracted nominations from building projects across the region in a range of categories. Dorothy Goodman School took the title in the education category.
The school’s redesign, by Grayling Thomas Architects, was funded through three consecutive bids to the Education Skills and Funding Agency.
The school now offers 10 classrooms, three specialist teaching areas, including art, food technology and science, a school hall, studio hall, multi-sensory areas, including a courtyard, an external amphitheatre, kitchen and admin facilities, a library and community space.
RICS Social Impact Awards head judge for the East Midlands, Sally Walters, said: “As a project dedicated to the support of pupils with special educational needs, the Dorothy Goodman School excels in providing social value not only to the young people who attend but also the wider community.
“The open and honest design approach promotes the facility and assists with the pupil’s development, whilst integrating them throughout their education into the wider world.
“The design is innovative and centres on a wide range of special and challenging needs that allows the users of the facility to further themselves.”
The other East Midlands category winners were transforming Carlsberg’s Northampton brewery, (commercial category); barrier flood defence scheme, Boston, Lincolnshire (infrastructure category); Tower Gardens Pavilion, Skegness (leisure) and Winwood Heights, Nottingham (residential).
Ms Walters said: “The built environment is an integral part of the UK economy but also makes a positive impact on our everyday lives.
“In these challenging times, it is warming to reflect on these winning projects.
“They are not only a demonstration of the breadth of talent within the profession, but also showcase how buildings can make towns and cities more inclusive and deliver communities which people can be proud of.”
Dorothy Goodman School also won Large Non-Residential Scheme of the Year, in the 2019 ProCon Awards for architecture.