Waid Community Campus

In the beginning there was no Brief, only a willingness on the part of Fife Council to produce something entirely different. The idea was not to simply provide a replacement school for the ageing Waid Academy, but to be bold and create something far more diverse, welcoming and beneficial for the entire community and at any time of the day. It was to be a hub for Anstruther.

The Waid is situated on the cusp of the coastal town of Anstruther and its rural hinterland taking its reference from both. The largest structures which feature within the landscape are agricultural barns. The Waid, three storeys high reflects this large architectural form with its massing, materials and colour selection wholly in keeping with the vernacular of the East Neuk…it’s a Learning Barn.

Contextually The Waid has established itself as a sense of place adjacent to the local primary school and the sports centre thereby forming an educational triangle around a pedestrian friendly “village green” at the heart of the site. The Waid Community Campus not only contains a school but also the town hall, local library, community café, adult education space, enterprise kitchen, conference facility, police office and project space all clustered around the central atrium. The interior concept is inspired by Anstruther harbour where a large protective seawall wraps itself around a series of dynamic elements.

The Waid proudly promotes Enterprise and Skills. Not only will this facility be available to nurture entrepreneurial students but also serve as an incubator once they leave school and seek to develop their own business skills. Specific facilities, technology and advice will be available for young people to ease the transition between school and business.

Accommodation includes The Bridge within the atrium – an elevated showcase for innovation which is a flexible ICT rich workspace. In addition there is a series of external enterprise pods (formerly shipping containers), which are available to students and school leavers. Pupils have embraced these enterprise opportunities and created the strap line “Trade at the Waid”