Whitgift

Planning permission has been granted for an extraordinary new facility at renowned South London public school Whitgift.

Working with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL London Zoo) and Kew Gardens, our proposals for the school provide a unique learning experience at the heart of the school buildings. Utilising an under-used external courtyard which connects into the existing science department, the new ecology centre is an arrangement of glass ‘bio-dome’ structures, arranged in a modular sequence to provide a series of independent environmental ‘biomes’ to grow and study flora and fauna from different climates.

From arid, to temperate, to tropical climates, the spaces allow for students to explore biology, ecology and conservation in a managed environment with the opportunity for direct physical engagement and longer term research and analysis.

Four new science classrooms at the heart of the facility provide additional teaching space overlooking the biome environments.