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The Orchard School: a single-storey brick and timber primary school with zinc roofs around an orchard garden in Surrey

Surrey, United Kingdom

The Orchard School

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Location
Surrey, United Kingdom
Sector
Education

A single-storey primary school arranged around an orchard garden at the edge of a Surrey village.

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Use

For about 210 children: seven classrooms and a creative studio opening to a central orchard, a library, a hall, and a woodland learning area beyond, with a secure entrance and level routes throughout.

How we designed it

Two parallel classroom wings and an arrival block form a U that opens to the orchard. Simple pitched zinc roofs, warm brick and timber give a village scale, and each classroom has its own glazed doors and covered terrace to the garden.

The Orchard School: a single-storey brick and timber primary school with zinc roofs around an orchard garden in Surrey

Robust materials, exposed timber structure that needs little finishing, and a plan that keeps children close to the outdoors.

Why it endures
The Orchard School: a single-storey brick and timber primary school with zinc roofs around an orchard garden in Surrey
The Orchard School: a single-storey brick and timber primary school with zinc roofs around an orchard garden in Surrey
The Orchard School: the classroom wings with covered terraces and the orchard

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