April 11 2017

Highland Council are pressing ahead with plans to build a new community campus on the site of the existing Tain Royal Academy – to provide a mix of primary, secondary, nursery and special needs places.

Drawing together the existing Craighill and Knockbreck primaries in addition to St Duthus special needs school the campus will also incorporate a new town library with extensive sports facilities; including tennis and basketball courts as well as a floodlit pitch.

Accommodating up to 1,300 pupils the campus will be sympathetically designed to work with the historic townscape with the public face of the school ‘cranked’ to follow the line of an existing road.

In their design statement Highland Council observed: “A line of native species trees is proposed on the Scotsburn Road Terrace to add depth to the building elevation. A canopy projects from it. The building line on the most public face cranks to follow the route of the accompanying road. The mono pitch roof has been set back from the facade in the northern corner to add further layering to the composition.

“Where public functions require it, the face of the building opens up to allow natural light in, and offer glimpses of the action inside. The library is considered

central to the orientation and operation of the community block and sits behind a wall of glass.”

Faced in a pre-cast panel system of light coloured stone aggregate the campus is arranged around a series of internal courtyards along a central ‘cloister’ to help define different uses.

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