Phoenix Arch is a Special Needs School landlocked on a tight urban site in north London. The school asked dm3a to not only enhance the existing facilities by providing new teaching spaces, but also to provide a modern addition to the school which embodies their visionary green thinking and provides an exciting external statement visible from the site entrance.
Our innovative solution was to remove the roof structure of the existing main hall and place on top a new, daylit and highly insulated timber element. Cantilevering this new structure out over the existing car park not only frames the entrance but provided an important and safe waiting area for parents.
A new lift and side entrance allows the newly created community and music room at the first floor, to be able to function independently from the rest of the school providing an important place for community, school parents to gather.
