A modern classroom with several students seated at desks facing a teacher, who stands near a whiteboard. The room is well-lit with large windows, white walls, and exposed brick. The students appear attentive and engaged.

Central Foundation Boys’ School

Project: Central Foundation Boys' School - Phase 2

Segment: Education

Country/city: United Kingdom, London

Architect: Hawkins Brown Architects, London

Installer: Hennity Plastering Contractor Ltd – Wayne Hennity

Main contractor: Gilbert Ash

Sub contractor: Hennity Plastering Contractor Ltd – Wayne Hennity

Photographer: Jack Hobhouse

Production year: 2024

Central Foundation Boys’ School by Hawkins Brown Architects

Central Foundation Boys’ School, in the heart of London, dates back 150 years. A complex mix of seven buildings, some hardly fit for purpose, have been refurbished, preserving embodied carbon and achieving BREEAM Excellent in the process. New infills were added where necessary to bring the ad-hoc parts into a brilliantly functioning whole.

Undoubtedly, this was a far more complex proposition than designing a new school from scratch. Newly added interventions respond sensitively to the old historic elements and include science laboratories and a subterranean sports hall buried in the central courtyard.

“The client wanted to expose the underside of the new concrete slabs and the services so that the students could observe and learn about the inner workings of the building. We needed a sustainable acoustic solution that would allow this design feature, as well as complying with Acoustic standards for Schools. We’ve had a long-established working relationship with Saint-Gobain Ecophon and selected the Ecophon Solo™ range of acoustic rafts to meet our design requirements, knowing there would also be zero waste with this option”, explains Fabio Maiolin, Senior Architect at Hawkins Brown.

The old parts of the school had to be refurbished to modern day acoustic standards, as well as ensuring the newer parts had compliant, acoustically optimal learning environments. This challenge was met by the acoustic team at BDP, London.