Kingham Hill School

The existing buildings at Kingham Hill provide a coherent and consistent framework for the school enhancing the natural beauty and quality of the Cotswold environment. The Masterplan considered how the estate could be enhanced by re-purposing the fine quality existing buildings and locating new buildings to complement the setting. Existing facilities and spaces were reviewed against current guidelines to allow flexibility for future accommodation of 25 pupils in a classroom, a more economic staff/pupil ratio than the existing 18.

The new Veritas Building provides the School with six new classrooms, six state-of-the-art science laboratories, a seminar room, and three science prep rooms, together with office space for staff. The building is designed around light-filled atria, reducing artificial lighting. The classrooms are large, bright spaces with generous windows and state-of-the-art technology. The new laboratories provide outstanding facilities for the school’s young scientists as they learn about the world around them.

The Veritas building used CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) construction, substantially insulated and wrapped externally in traditional Cotswold stone and cedar cladding for a faster build. CLT provides good air tightness, acoustic and thermal performance, energy efficiency and material sustainability and the building uses a very low energy natural ventilation system - breathing building technology. The project was delivered on time and on budget and sits very comfortably in the context of the existing Cotswolds Arts and Crafts school buildings.