Derby High Independent Day School
What we delivered
Our design focused on delivering an elegant modern building set within a densely landscaped part of the school estate that would set new standards for a socially inclusive and enhanced school environment.
What was the initial brief?
To replace a tired building with high performing music spaces, including practice, rehearsal and recording rooms, that would convey the school’s ethos for quality and originality.
How we did it
To provide a high degree of sound isolation and low noise ventilation, we chose absorbent materials such as brick, timber and in-situ concrete. The design also allowed for a smooth musical tone that controls loudness and absorbs reverberation.
To achieve the high quality education spaces we worked closely with acoustic specialists to design the arrangement of the building spaces informing the external shape and form of the building. We related this to a sequence of spaces arranged to focus student minds on the artistic expression of music.
Using a timber frame, the design was arranged around a central street to allow both informal teaching and a social space