Calderwood Primary School

The new build Calderwood Primary school is being delivered for West Lothian Council as part of the Core Development Area of Calderwood. The building is situated at the heart of a new residential masterplan being developed by Stirling Developments. From the outset, jmarchitects have worked closely with West Lothian Council to develop key drivers and aspirations for the project, developing a brief and design that provides integration, openness and flexibility.

Date
2021

Client
West Lothian Council/ Hub South East

Value
£14.7m

The chosen site for the school is at the heart of the new masterplan development, located adjacent to the new village square which will consist of retail / housing, mixed use development. The school forms one edge to the village square with the design being influenced by a necessity for the school building to fulfil the role of a (central) community orientated public building. The school will be a significant public face of the newly emerging square and settlement, and will symbolise a high level of investment in the education for the new population of school pupils, providing a twenty first century contemporary building for the emerging and growing Calderwood population.

The school has been designed to be built in two phases, the first phase will provide a two stream primary, accommodating 462 pupils with an early years facility accommodating 128 children. As the masterplan build out develops there will be a requirement for a future second phase to be added to the school, providing a third stream, increasing the capacity by an additional 231 pupils. jmarchitects held early design workshops with West Lothian Council and this interface allowed us to propose a design approach based on key themes and design drivers, ensuring that the brief developed and that design and project aspirations were achieved. Central to the scheme is a double height dining space that offers flexibility for breakout teaching and provides connection to all areas of the school.

The adjacent gymnasium opens up to the dining area, allowing flexibility and movement for larger groups or performances whilst the heller-up seating offers opportunities for smaller groups to gather or learn with views towards the village square. Classroom accommodation is semi-open plan providing connection with adjacent flexible breakout zones whilst offering views over the landscaped playground. West Lothian Council have a strong belief in developing the way that education is delivered through an open collaborative learning environment and the design proposals seek to envisage this, providing a series of flexible interchangeable spaces within an overall building plan that provides opportunities for pupils of all ages to interact and learn from each other.

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