a r c h i t e c t u r e
Priors Court
Educational Renovation And Extension
We are exceptionally proud to be working with Prior’s Court School, a highly specialised and unique facility for young people with extreme Autism. Prior’s Court is the UK’s leading centre for young people diagnosed with levels of Autism that Local Authorities cannot manage. Their operation seeks to guide these young people back into society and be as self-sufficient as they can be to lead a fulfilling and integrated life.
​
Music, dance and general performance are extremely popular and important outlets of communication and interaction for the young people who attend Prior’s Court. Yet the facilities for such activities at the time of our appointment were near non-existent, a 1940’s hall with outdated stage, barely any functional heating or cooling and antiquated theatre systems being the best the School could offer.
​
Realising their need to provide better facilities in this area, we worked closely with the management team to form proposals to renovate and innovate the existing building for maximum value for money, retain embodied energy and transform an otherwise well-loved landmark of the School into a facility fit for the 21st Century.
Our design development retained the main performance space, omitting the old stage and setting the building to a single level. Music Performance Studios were added to the east end of the building and a Dance Studio to the west, both separated by access corridors and lobbies for acoustic isolation of all areas. With sufferers of Autism often struggling within enclosed spaces, we introduced a tensile canopy to the south elevation to permit al fresco performance. Lastly, we added a secondary break-out performance space to the north, defined by a sedum green roof and vertical timber cladding interspersed with full height glazing and a new reception and WC area marked with a projecting fin-wall to identify its significance on approach.
Tactility of materials and their physical safety is also an exceptionally important element of this project. We have developed a palette of soft off-white render to the existing walls mixed with warm Cedar timber cladding and feature CorTen surface corroded steel to the gable ends shaped with silhouette figurine cut-outs to create a truly functionally and visually significant building on the campus.