Newsletter - Links - Advertise - Contact Us - Privacy
 

Invergowrie Primary approved

July 6 2012

Invergowrie Primary approved
Perth and Kinross Council have granted approval for the construction of a new Invergowrie Primary School, adjacent to the C listed existing school which will be retained for community use.

Designed in-house the £8m school will be built on existing playing fields and entail demolition of dilapidated outbuildings and appropriation of adjacent farmland.

Its seven classrooms will play host to 283 pupils and will include a library, meeting room, dining hall and studio – all of which will be made available for community use.

A green roof will, budget permitting, enhance the building and compensate for the loss of green space whilst primary elevations will be soft wood cladding and render.

In their design statement P&KC noted: “Given the large footprint of the building, it is obvious that the development cannot emulate the vernacular of the existing school and other similar buildings in the locality.

“Instead, the contemporary nature of the building is to be celebrated with an architectural language which matches the most up to date user demands. Large areas of glazing, internal open plan and connectivity inform an elemental architectural expression which aims to be refined, simple, robust and contemporary.”

5 Comments

david nimmo
#1 Posted by david nimmo on 9 Jul 2012 at 14:31 PM
What exactly was wrong with the old Invergowrie primary school? Looks a lot nicer than the new one imho.
dirige
#2 Posted by dirige on 9 Jul 2012 at 15:55 PM
Any images of the new school? I can only see a 3d image of an old 1960's building presumably to be demolished to make way for the new school.
I M Gowrie
#3 Posted by I M Gowrie on 9 Jul 2012 at 18:39 PM
Does this look like a "contemporary" building? From the illustration it looks firmly rooted in the worst of the 60s/70s with some "trendy" timber cladding added. What tosh the design statement is - the "language" is incomprehensible. Surely P&KC can do better than this. If not, oh woe to the village!
Auntie Nairn
#4 Posted by Auntie Nairn on 11 Jul 2012 at 13:31 PM
Abject Shite!
GDK
#5 Posted by GDK on 2 Nov 2013 at 10:28 AM
Having had the privilege to visit the new Invergowrie Primary School I can safely say it is a significant improvement on the existing array of buildings and in its own understated way adresses the negative comments previously posted. Anyone who was familiar with the old school would know that the school was too small for the number of pupils that it had to accomodate and there was also the fact that accommodation was provided by a number of buildings. Generally these buildings were beyond their serviceable life such as the Horsa huts and the mobile unit that was used as a Dining Centre.
While the new school does not push the boundaries in terms of design externally, the interior spaces provide a fantastic environment for children to learn. Classrooms are modern and provide a light and comfortable space for pupils with built in furniture and an abundance of natural lighting. One criticism is that while the classrooms appear to be large enough for the existing school role there does appear to be a lack of space in the teaching areas should there be an increase in school numbers.
The large hall / gymnasium area is a fantastic facility which offers a versatile space for school users and the wider community. The integrated dining area and modern kitchen also provides a space which is fit for purpose and a comfortable for pupils to congregate and enjoy meals.
The building is well serviced with underfloor heating throughout which is serviced by a biomass boiler and natural ventilation has been utilised in order to control air quality / temperature. In my opinion choosing to use a biomass system is somewhat short sighted especially when it is clear that sustainability has clearly been given consideration in this project, (no doubt due to BREEAM requirements). Using ground source heat pumps, solar PV etc should have been considered.
While the design statement was flowery and the model provided and shown on this site is not appealing I feel what has been delivered exceeds both the statement and the model. Overall the school is a great addition to Perth & Kinross Councils school estate and in my opinion this school is one of, if not the best new build primary school project I have seen in Scotland over the last 15 years or so. The project is a credit to all who were / are involved in its delivery and I am sure that it will be enjoyed by the community of Invergowrie for many years to come.

Post your comments

 

All comments are pre-moderated and
must obey our house rules.

 

Back to July 2012

Search News
Subscribe to Urban Realm Magazine
Features & Reports
For more information from the industry visit our Features & Reports section.