Dame Allan’s Junior School

Education // Newcastle upon Tyne

IBA were appointed to design a new state of the art sustainable Nursery and Junior School for 300 pupils to promote education, sport and play on the derelict Victorian Hunter’s Moor Hospital site in Spital Tongues, Newcastle. The design provides self contained classrooms with external break-out spaces over two floors within a mature six acre woodland site.

The building’s ergonomic design incorporates natural ventilation systems and solar shading devices together with ground source heat pumps for heating, solar panels for hot water and rainwater harvesting for flushing toilets. An intelligent building management system monitors the building’s temperature and carbon dioxide levels and adjusts the ventilation accordingly thus maximising occupant comfort levels within. Aspiring to create a playful and energetic design, IBA implemented bright colours , intensive sound Insulation, dynamic shapes and a large portion of skylights and windows to let the light flood the spaces. As we know these attributes contribute to a higher quality of learning.