August 9 2023

An Inverness high school is set fair for significant expansion under plans by Colin Armstrong Architects to replace the existing building with a shared nursery, primary and secondary campus.

Phased intervention by Highland Council at Charleston Academy has been made necessary by the 1978 building reaching the end of its planned life, spurring the consolidation effort.

Situated on a hillside site to the west of the city the topography demands the use of stepped and ramped access with parking parcelled over several distinct terraced levels.

In a masterplan statement, the architects wrote: "This masterplan is not prescriptive in defining materials. It does however promote a consistent approach to the campus with each building making some reference to the others while still having a distinct identity. Materials will be chosen with consideration for their performance, maintenance regime and embodied carbon requirements. Natural materials will be preferred where possible and colours should generally be muted and complementary though some areas of feature colour may be used to differentiate the respective schools and reflect their school colours.

"The nursery design which is submitted in parallel to this application has a combination of zinc cladding and masonry." The application for planning in principle reflects an anticipated rise in the school roll. 

1 Comment

#1 Posted by SneckieMun on 10 Aug 2023 at 12:51 PM

The existing school has been left to decay and looks like something from a Cormac McCarthy novel but it does have some very interesting "Cooncil Corbusien" design features. Horizontal windows, pilotis, tiered courtyard, great assembly hall with spanish step style seating etc. Features a new school building would do well to incorporate. I do hope all avenues of salvaging it were explored.

Also, do all students drive to school now?! Joni Mitchell design ethos for the old school.

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