SCHOOLS WORKBOOK

JOHN McASLAN + PARTNERS

 CONTENTS

“WHEN DEVELOPING OUR IDEAS, THE DESIGN SOLUTION IS 4 Design as an Expression of Learning
6 Timeline
ALWAYS A SPECIFIC RESPONSE TO A SCHOOL’S PHYSICAL
CONTEXT AND EDUCATIONAL ETHOS, CREATING A CLEAR Projects
SENSE OF PLACE AND PURPOSE FOR STUDENTS, STAFF 14 John Roan School
AND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.” 18 St Paul’s Girls’ School
20 Doha School
24 The British School, Rio de Janeiro
HANNAH LAWSON, PARTNER, JOHN McASLAN + PARTNERS 28 Darwen Vale High School
32 Oasis Academy
34 Oasis Academy Uganda
35 Dulwich College
36 Thomas Tallis School
40 RSA Academy
42 Craigmillar High School
44 Harris Academy
50 De La Salle School
54 United World College East Africa
56 Malawi Schools
60 Sure Start Lavender Nursery
64 Christopher Place

68 Timeline
70 End Matter
4 Schools
DESIGN AS AN EXPRESSION OF LEARNING
School design has become, arguably,
the most testing field of architecture.
In Britain, rapid changes in strategies
for learning, improved exam outcomes,
and the relationship of schools with their
communities have forced architects to
think well outside the usual architectural
boxes – Victorian, or austere modern
– that characterised the socially and
educationally bipolar presence of
Grammar and Comprehensive schools
even 20 years ago.
The range of the practice’s school
projects is exceptional by any measure.
Starting with the Christopher Place
Speech, Language and Hearing Centre
(built in 2004), the practice has won
many national and international awards
and, as the schools in this Workbook
show, these are evidence of very different
architectural tests.
Some projects are impressive in terms
of their elite academic status, such as
the practice’s development masterplans
for Dulwich College and St Paul’s Girls’
School in London. But the practice is
equally proud of outstanding designs
for schools in the state sector: the
former Education Minister, Lord Adonis,
described Harris Academy, in South
Norwood, as one of the best he had
encountered; and in Edinburgh, when
built, the innovative design of Craigmillar
High School will make it a valuable
resource for the community as a whole.
The practice has relished this design
range, and is as proud of the ultra-simple
Oasis Academy, Enfield, London
5 Design as an Expression of Learning
St Paul’s Girls’ School, London
design template for village schools in rural
Uganda as of its more architecturally
striking proposals for the new British
School in Rio de Janeiro.
The practice’s school projects have
arisen in an age riddled with competing
educational methodologies. Thus, there
is no sense of “trademark” design linking
the Royal Society of Arts Academy in
Tipton, the Thomas Tallis School, the
Darwen Vale High School, Bolton, the
Oasis Academy in Enfield or the John
Roan School in Greenwich. In each case,
the practice’s architectural response
derives from forensic examination of each
school’s particular educational ethos and
physical context.
In the case of Academies, so often
linked to urban regeneration schemes
and specific types of locally available
employment, the practice has responded
by expressing pedagogic strategies
as strongly as possible through form,
materials and specific details, so that
students, staff, and communities can
share a locally distinct sense of place
and purpose.
In purely architectural terms, these
design responses to a range of schools
projects reveal something more than a
thoroughgoing modernist order in design.
For instance, the Centre for Performing
Arts at the De La Salle School in St Helens
could be described as a classical-cum-
rationalist scheme; but what about the
even more stripped-down form of the
Lavender Sure Start Nursery in Merton,
South London? Here, spare form and
detailing has an almost Walter Segal-like
simplicity. “This,” wrote Jonathan Glancey
in The Guardian, “is what low-cost,
unpretentious, environmentally sound,
John Roan School, London
yet elegant and thoughtful new buildings
– from schools to housing – should be
like.”
The complexities of school design are
equally rigorous in overseas projects,
such as the environmentally and spatially
sophisticated United World College
scheme in Kenya, and the practice’s
on-site primary school in Doha.
Education Studio Director Hannah
Lawson continues to steer her team
deftly through the challenging diversity
of cultures and contexts, whether in the
Midlands or Malawi, and is happy to
admit that the practice is still learning
about learning.
Jay Merrick
Left: The British School, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil; overleaf:
De La Salle School, St Helens, Lancashire
6 Schools 7 Timeline

TIMELINE
HARRIS ACADEMY CRAIGMILLAR HIGH SCHOOL

Location Croydon Location Edinburgh

Client DfES / The Harris Client Parc
Academy Trust Craigmillar
Stage Secondary Stage Secondary
Pupils 1,300 Pupils 1,100
Size 10,000 sqm Size 10,000 sqm
Cost £24m Cost £30m
Build RC frame Build RC frame
Exterior panelised facade Exterior brick clad

Ethos Traditional faculty structure with Ethos Community focused traditional

shared pastoral hubs
Typology Efficient three storey school
block with a series of atria and specialist
teaching spaces framed by traditional
classrooms.
pedagogy with transformational shared
resource areas
Typology Landscape-informed linear
departmental hubs radiating from shared
social and community spaces

2008 2009
8 Schools 9 Timeline

TIMELINE
THE JOHN ROAN SCHOOL DOHA SCHOOL RSA ACADEMY DULWICH COLLEGE

Location Greenwich Location Doha Location Sandwell, Tipton Location Dulwich

Client PfS / Babcock Client Msheireb Properties Client DfES / Royal Society of Arts Client Dulwich College
Stage Secondary Stage Primary Stage Secondary Stage Preparatory / Secondary
Pupils 1,400 Pupils 550 Pupils 1,100 Pupils 1,450
Size 12,700 sqm Size 10,500 sqm Size 10,000 sqm Cost undisclosed
Cost £29m Cost undisclosed Cost £23.5m Build Existing historic
Build RC frame Build RC frame Build RC frame Exterior Traditional
Exterior brick Exterior stone Exterior Render

Ethos Predominantly traditional
departmental structure.
Existing classical historic building.
Typology Three storey street-fronting block
with formal classrooms surrounding a large
open atrium with a series of flexible open
terraces and social spaces.
Ethos Traditional fully bilingual Ethos Transformational, with a bespoke Ethos Traditional independent
educational model for International and ‘Opening Minds’ curriculum. boys college
Qatari pupils Typology Fully flexible teaching Typology Historic academic campus set
Typology Village arrangement with a series environments that respond to the in expansive grounds.
of learning clusters set around internal specialist pedagogy
courtyard cloister gardens.

2010 2011
10 Schools 11 Timeline

TIMELINE
DOHA SCHOOL RSA ACADEMY DULWICH COLLEGE DARWEN VALE HIGH SCHOOL

Location Doha Location Sandwell, Tipton Location Dulwich Location Blackburn, Lancashire
Client Msheireb Properties Client DfES / Royal Society of Arts Client Dulwich College Client DfES / Balfour Beatty
Stage Primary Stage Secondary Stage Preparatory / Secondary Stage Secondary
Pupils 550 Pupils 1,100 Pupils 1,450 Pupils 1,100
Size 10,500 sqm Size 10,000 sqm Cost undisclosed Size 10,150 sqm
Cost undisclosed Cost £23.5m Build Existing historic Cost £23m
Build RC frame Build RC frame Exterior Traditional Build Steel frame
Exterior stone Exterior Render Exterior brick clad

Ethos Traditional fully bilingual
educational model for International and
Qatari pupils
Typology Village arrangement with a series
of learning clusters set around internal
courtyard cloister gardens.
Ethos Transformational, with a bespoke
‘Opening Minds’ curriculum.
Typology Fully flexible teaching
environments that respond to the
specialist pedagogy
Ethos Traditional independent
boys college Ethos Transformational flexible learning
Typology Historic academic campus set Typology Historic neo-classical
in expansive grounds. existing building with core classrooms
complemented by new open and flexible
learning and social spaces.

2011
12 Schools 13 Timeline

TIMELINE

THOMAS TALLIS SCHOOL OASIS ACADEMY BRITISH SCHOOL IN RIO ST PAUL’S GIRLS’ SCHOOL

Location Greenwich Location Enfield Location Rio de Janeiro Location Hammersmith

Client DfES / VT Education and Skills Client Oasis/Balfour Beatty Client The British School, Rio Client St Paul’s Girls’ School
Stage Secondary Stage All-through Stage All-through Stage Secondary
Pupils 2,000 Pupils 2,000 Pupils 1,236 Pupils 750
Size 20,571sqm Size 13,000 sqm Size 5,000 sqm Cost £15m
Cost £40m Cost £23m Cost £10m Build Existing historic / brick / new / RC
Build RC frame / brick Build System build Build Concrete frame / render glazed frame
Exterior brick / timber screen and expressed rendered decks Exterior stone clad

Ethos Traditional departmental structure
with arts, sports and performance
specialisms
Typology Campus scheme with traditional
classrooms distributed in independent
faculty pavilion buildings, with a series of
central shared and social buildings.
Ethos Faculty structure with strong
pastoral identity
Typology Pinwheel form organisation, with
faculty wings radiating from centralised
support and school heart spaces.
Ethos Traditional model. International and
Brazilian pupils. Secondary school divided
into departments.
Typology Lower schools located in existing
buildings. Secondary School and 6th
form located in a new three storey “bar”
building providing a new street frontage,
and improved image for the institution.
Ethos Predominantly traditional
departmental structure.
Existing classical historic building.
Typology Departmental rationalisation of
the existing campus and significant new
senior school building and sports pavilion

2012 2014
14 Schools 15 Projects

JOHN ROAN SCHOOL

GREENWICH, LONDON
John McAslan + Partners was appointed
in 2010 to remodel John Roan School’s
existing Grade II listed building at
Maze Hill and to provide a new 7,600
sqm school and community building
at Westcombe Park. The 1,400-pupil
secondary school is split across two sites
adjacent to Greenwich Park; the Maze Hill
site is in the Greenwich Park Conservation
Area, and the Westcombe Park site is in
the Blackheath Conservation Area.
The refurbishment and extension of the
existing grade II listed neo-Georgian Maze
Hill building involved the remodeling of
classrooms and internal circulation, and
the addition of an ETFE roof over one of
the internal courtyards to create a new
dining area, a learning resource area and
ICT breakout space.The project won a
regional RIBA Award in 2015.

Top: view of the school’s dramatic entrance foyer;

left: view of entrance to the Westcombe Park site; above:
view from upper walkway of internal breakout spaces
16 Schools 17 Projects

Above: Maze Hill front elevation – the original building Above: interior view of learning area in the Maze Hill site;
has been restored as part of the project; Below: Maze Hill below: view of bridge linking buildings.
Ground Floor Plan
18 Schools 19 Projects

ST PAUL’S GIRLS’ SCHOOL

HAMMERSMITH, LONDON
St Paul’s Girls’ School is one of the UK’s
most respected senior independent schools.
JMP was appointed in December 2010 as
strategic estate advisors to identify current
and future development opportunities for
the Brook Green site, West London. The
scheme includes both new structures and
interventions within existing buildings.
Two new buildings have completed this
summer - a Senior School hub, and a Sports
Pavilion. Ongoing projects include History
and Geography departments, as well as
a reconfigured Forum Building and Link
Space, which will provide central staff areas,
meeting rooms and offices.

Above: site plan; below: view of the newly completed Senior School
Hub and gardens.

Top: view of Senior School Hub

and gardens; bottom left: view from
Senior School Hub over gardens;
bottom right: break-out space, Senior
School Hub.
20 Schools 21 Projects

DOHA SCHOOL
DOHA, QATAR
This primary school acts as the gateway
to the new heart of the city centre
in the Msheireb Downtown project.
Accommodating 550 pupils, the school
provideS the local community with an
integrated learning environment, as
well as a nursery school and sports and
recreation facilities. The school buildings
are inspired by the forms and massing
of traditional Qatari village communities -
orientation, windows and shading devices
create naturally ventilated spaces for
most of the school year. Classrooms are
arranged in clusters around the perimeter
of garden courtyards which act as
additional open-air teaching spaces.

Above: site plan; above right: view of the main approach

to the school; right and far right: views of the refectory and
the external spaces
22 Schools 23 Projects

Above left: view of internal garden courtyard, with shaded

colonnade; above right: completed external view; far left
and left: views of classrooms and break-out spaces
24 Schools 25 Projects

THE BRITISH SCHOOL

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
The practice has designed a new senior
school and landscaped environment for
The British School in Rio de Janeiro,
adjoining the 2016 Olympic site. The
long, low building, with a footprint of
130m x 19m, forms a ‘porte cochère’
gateway, create a spectacular new
entrance to the site. Accommodation
clusters are stacked, with voids between
classrooms revealing circulation routes
and core areas. These nodes provide
staircase and lift access, storerooms, and
support accommodation for the senior
school. Elsewhere, accommodation
includes a multi-purpose hall and LRC,
classrooms, a 6th form common room,
staff rooms with a private roof-top terrace,
and changing rooms.

Below: site plan; right: view of completed new wing;

opposite below: external view of completed site.
26 Schools 27 Projects

Above: view of exterior break-out spaces

Oppsite top: external playing facilities,
bottom: partially covered swimming pool
and indoor sports hall
28 Schools 29 Projects

DARWEN VALE HIGH SCHOOL

BLACKBURN, LANCASHIRE
This award-winning reconfigured school
in Blackburn offers 1,200 pupils a
flexible, IT-rich environment, designed to
transform teaching and learning.
A new three-storey structure houses
four learning environments: STEM
(Science, Technology and Engineering),
TEAM (English and Maths), Create
(Art, Music & P.E.) and Communicate
(Languages, History, Geography and
R.E.). The retained 1930s element
accommodates key spaces such as the
school library. After school hours, the
fitness suite, sports hall, upgraded pitches
and courts are open to the public, as
are classrooms for adult learning. This
BREEAM ‘Excellent’ project has a low
carbon emissions output, fulfilling its
environmental expectations.

Opposite: view of the school’s new assembly and

performance space; top: site plan; above: view of the main
approach to the school – the original building has been
restored and updated as part of the project
30 Schools 31 Projects

Top left and right: views of the top-lit break-out spaces;

above: animated section through the new and retained
building elements
32 Schools 33 Projects

OASIS ACADEMY
ENFIELD, LONDON
Situated on a former industrial site in
Enfield, the Oasis Academy is a specialist
Maths, ICT and Music school. The
practice has designed a vibrant new
learning campus for the Academy’s
primary, secondary and sixth-form
students. At the heart of the school is a
central agora, a space that can be used
for various purposes – informal teaching,
dining, assemblies and performances.
The agora also features a series of open
plan learning clusters. Cultural and
sports activities (indoor sports hall, dance
studios, changing rooms, an all-weather
pitch and a multi-use games area)
are available outside school hours for
community use.

Opposite and below: views of the school’s dramatic agora

which provides space for informal teaching, dining,
assemblies and performances; above right: site plan; right:
view of the playground
34 Schools
OASIS ACADEMY
MUSOTO, UGANDA
As architects of the Oasis Academy
Hadley in Enfield, the practice, with
its experience of building schools in
Malawi, is supporting Oasis’ educational
programme in Uganda. The Oasis
Academy Musoto will work in partnership
with the three UK Oasis Academies,
facilitating exchange visits, and
developing curriculum materials and good
practice. The Ugandan Government aims
to provide universal secondary education
but, currently, only 10% of children who
complete primary education get a place
at a secondary school. The new Academy
will provide education for 600 students,
and accommodation for 200 boys and
200 girls, covering secondary school from
grades S1 to S6.
Above: site plan; below and right: the school’s robust
design offers shading and natural veltilation, aided by a
simple system of wooden shutters which can be adjusted
according to the prevailing wind
35 Projects
DULWICH COLLEGE
SOUTHWARK, LONDON
When constructed, the practice’s
masterplan will transform the historic
school’s 75-acre campus in time for its
400th anniversary in 2019. The design
reworks the 1,450-pupil campus to
create a coherent, properly connected
context for the Grade II* listed 19th-
century building designed by Charles
Barry. Through time, buildings of
different architectural styles have been
added to the tableau, but not always
in a strategically coherent way. The
masterplan calls for a series of phased
refurbishments and new buildings. The
Barry building, Dulwich College’s ‘anchor’,
will be refurbished, providing a range of
flexible spaces serving modern teaching
methods, with formal and informal
learning environments.
Above: masterplan sketch, showing the practice’s
proposed rationalisation of the 75-acre campus; below:
view of the historic school buildings
36 Schools 37 Projects

THOMAS TALLIS SCHOOL

GREENWICH, LONDON
The practice has designed two- and
three-storey buildings accommodating
a performing arts block, sports hall,
specialist teaching facilities and three
main teaching blocks for this significantly
scaled new secondary school. Open
space connects the main hall with the
performing arts segment and acts as a
forecourt for local people who use the
school’s public facilities. The school has
strong community links and provides
learning programmes and a range of
other public services. The buildings are
naturally ventilated, with high levels of
natural daylight and a BREEAM ‘Very
Good’ rating. The design brief was
developed in consultation with students
and staff, who were also closely involved
in monitoring progress on site.

Opposite: the stone façade’s generous fenestration

brings daylight into the heart of the building; right: site
diagram; below: the design of the school and its extensive
landscape creates a cohesive environment
38 Schools 39 Projects

Opposite: children working in the art studio; above and

left: views of circulation spaces
40 Schools 41 Projects

RSA ACADEMY
TIPTON, WEST MIDLANDS
Sponsored by The Royal Society of Arts,
this award-winning Academy provides
teaching for 1,100 pupils, including
200 sixth formers, and offers flexible
and adaptable classrooms equipped
with modern ICT and WiFi. Large open
plan classrooms with movable walls and
furniture allow connection to adjacent
classrooms. Work and study areas are
provided along with extended sport
facilities. The Academy’s design has
achieved a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating,
whilst providing a transformative learning
environment. The design brief was the
subject of an intensely detailed refinement
process carried out in close collaboration
with the Royal Society of Arts.

Opposite: distinct overhanging bays accommodate

separate teaching zones; right: site plan; below: view
of refectory
42 Schools 43 Projects

CRAIGMILLAR HIGH SCHOOL

EDINBURGH
The practice’s design for the Craigmillar
High School and Library forms an
important element within the city’s
Craigmillar regeneration masterplan.
The school’s layout has a clear spatial
arrangement, with teaching areas
above ground level, and extended
school functions at ground level, fully
accessible to the community. An internal
urban ‘foyer’, a dynamic and engaging
space at the heart of the building, offers
strong visual links through the building
and beyond. A key project aim was
to create a school that could also be
used as a community resource, and
the design included a secure space
compartmentalisation strategy to achieve
this.

Below: site plan; right: view of main entrance; below

right: view of the urban ‘foyer’
44 Schools 45 Projects

HARRIS ACADEMY
SOUTH NORWOOD, LONDON
This 1,300-pupil secondary school is
one of the first wave of City Academies
specialising in business and practical
vocational subjects. The three-storey
building is organised around full-height
top-lit atria for teaching, dining and foyer
functions. Classrooms are arranged
primarily along the two long elevations to
benefit from daylight and external views
while vibrant internal colour schemes
aid identification and orientation. In
addition to the new building, the project
refurbished the original Grade II listed
school, incorporating internal and external
sporting facilities. When the school
opened, Education Minister Andrew
Adonis described it as “one of the best
Academies I’ve seen.”

Opposite: view of the refectory; above: model view,

showing how the new wing is integrated within the existing
fabric of the school and its site context; below: the façade
detailing mitigates the scale of the building
46 Schools 47 Projects

Opposite above: refectory; opposite below: view of central

circulation ‘spine’; top: stair detail; top right: gym; right:
detail of listed element of the school; overleaf: view of
entrance to the new wing
48 Schools 49 Projects
50 Schools 51 Projects

DE LA SALLE SCHOOL
ST HELENS, LANCASHIRE
The Centre for Performing Arts at De La
Salle School, St Helens, is a timber-clad
building providing flexible teaching and
performance spaces. The building’s form
– three connected pavilions containing
classrooms and studios – is inspired
by the historic glass furnaces that
occupied the skyline of St Helens during
the Industrial Revolution. The pavilions
feature stack-effect passive ventilation,
and other low energy systems. The whole
award-winning ensemble is remarkably
elegant in terms of the proportions of the
pavilions, the clarity of their detailing,
and the air of calm order that has been
created.

Right: dusk view; top: plan; above: model

of typical pavilion
52 Schools 53 Projects

Opposite: one of the performance studios; above: the

pavilion wings are linked by glazed corridors; left: view
of circulation space
54 Schools 55 Projects

UNITED WORLD COLLEGE EAST AFRICA

RIFT VALLEY, KENYA
Located at 1,900ft above sea level on
the Olchoro Onyore Ridge in Kenya’s
Rift Valley Region, and 50km south-west
of Nairobi, the practice’s design for the
United World College East Africa draws
on local building typologies to create an
innovatively arranged campus. A series of
‘fingers’ of residential accommodation and
teaching units are linked to the student
centre and dining hall. The fingers reach
out and across the sloping site, sitting
lightly and unobtrusively on this dramatic
landscape. The College, which offers
the International Baccalaureate Diploma
and Certificates for 200 pre-university
students, will be residential for students
and staff alike.

Right: view of the proposed scheme: bottom right: the site,

with its spectacular aspect across the Rift Valley; bottom:
site model
56 Schools 57 Projects

MALAWI SCHOOLS
MALAWI
This project was set up in partnership
with the Clinton Global Initiative and the
Malawi Ministry of Education, seeking
to provide free primary education for
all children in low cost, environmentally
responsive classroom buildings. A
measure of the project’s success is that
the classroom design, developed by
John McAslan + Partners in partnership
with ARUP engineers, has been adopted
as the design model for rural schools
in Malawi – one of the world’s least
developed countries. The design, for a
relatively modest cost of only $20,000 per
classroom, has created a school format
for 170 children that can also be used in
a variety of ways by local communities.

Above: location plan, showing the sites of the three

schools developed using JMP’s classroom design;
opposite above and below: the schools use locally sourced
building materials and offer significantly improved internal
light and ventilation. The first building type has two
classrooms, divided by a teaching courtyard, under a
lifted and inclined clerestory roof with a large overhang on
the sunnier side. The central linking terraces, with double
doors to classrooms on either side, are flanked by shaded
spaces at either end. This creates five teaching spaces,
and community-use terraces
58 Schools 59 Projects

Above: the roof’s generous overhang provides welcome

Top and above: the modular design offers a range shade; right: axonometric drawing highlighting the simple
of flexible teaching spaces modular design
60 Schools 61 Projects

SURE START LAVENDER NURSERY

MITCHAM, SURREY
This acclaimed, low-cost neighbourhood
nursery and community facility was
conceived as a ‘pavilion in the park’, with
a deliberately stripped down architecture
characterised by formal and spatial
clarity. The nursery facilities for children
and their parents are provided in flexible
accommodation that also meets local
community needs. A café functions as a
hub for access to the building’s internal
and external amenities. The building uses
sustainably sourced building materials
and is environmentally responsive, its
orientation optimising daylight penetration
and natural ventilation. The modular
design allowed for off-site fabrication and
speedy site assembly.

Opposite: wooden brise soleils mitigate solar ingress;

above left: all learning areas are bright and welcoming;
above right: axonometric drawing illustrating the building’s
‘kit of parts’ design
62 Schools 63 Projects

Opposite and above: the building sits discreetly within its

context; below: elevation
64 Schools 65 Projects

CHRISTOPHER PLACE
CAMDEN, LONDON
This RIBA Award-winning specialist
learning facility was the first UK early
intervention centre for hearing impaired
and speech delayed children, including
newly diagnosed babies. Built in a narrow
mews and utilising an expressive but
compact modernist design solution,
the innovative environment created at
Christopher Place successfully empowers
children, and their families, to learn
together how to communicate with greater
confidence. The audiology facilities
added in the second phase of the project
optimised space-use on an expanded site,
and its bigger classrooms cater for wider
age groups.

Opposite: the articulated façade uses a restrained palette

of materials; above: children engaging in the Centre’s
learning programmes; top: section; above right: panels
of bright colour enliven the interiors
66 Schools 67 Projects

Opposite, above right and below right: despite the site

constraints, the building enjoys generous levels
of daylight, creating a welcoming, dynamic environment
for learning and play; top: dusk view
68 Schools 69 Projects

- 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018
Christopher Place Harris Academy Craigmillar High School Dulwich College Thomas Tallis School Oasis Academy John Roan School Oasis Academy The British School St Paul’s Girls’ School
Camden, London South Norwood, London Edinburgh, Scotland Southwark, London Greenwich, London Enfield, London Greenwich, London Musoto, Uganda Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Hammersmith, London

De La Salle School Malawi Schools RSA Academy Darwen Vale High School Primary School
St Helens, Lancashire Malawi Tipton, West Midlands Blackburn, Lancashire Doha, Qatar

Sure Start Lavender Nursery

Mitcham, London

United World College East

Africa, Rift Valley, Kenya
70 Schools

END MATTER
Christopher Place Dulwich College John Roan School
Client The Speech, Language and Hearing Centre Client Dulwich College Client London Borough of Greenwich
Dates 2002 – 2004 Dates 2010 – ongoing Dates 2010 – 2014
Area 350 sqm Area 30 ha Area 12,700 sqm
Team John McAslan + Partners Team John McAslan + Partners Team John McAslan + Partners
F J Samuely and Partners Ltd Babcock, BDP,
Entropic Design RSA Academy Evolution 5
Sandy Brown Associates Client Royal Society of Arts Wates
Gordon Ingram Associates Dates 2007 – 2010
Boyden & Company Area 10,000 sqm Doha School
Team John McAslan + Partners Client Msheireb Properties
De La Salle School Arup Dates 2010 – 2015
Client De La Salle School Gardiner + Theobold Area 10,500 sqm
Dates 2001 – 2006 Wilmott Dixon Team John McAslan + Partners
Area 750 sqm Burns & McDonnell
Team John McAslan + Partners Oasis Academy Uganda Arup Façades
Clancey Consulting Client Oasis, Balfour Beatty TiME Qatar
Buro Happold Dates 2012 – 2015
Goth Hibbert Area 3 ha St. Paul’s Girls’ School
Team John McAslan + Partners Client St Paul’s Girls School
Sure Start Lavender Nursery Arup Dates 2010 – 2018
Client London Borough of Merton Aecom Area –
Dates 2003 – 2006 Balfour Beatty Team John McAslan + Partners,
Area 900 sqm MHBC, Deloitte, David Bonnett
Team John McAslan + Partners Thomas Tallis School Associates, Robert Myers Associates,
Arup Client VT Education and Skills Alan Baxter Associates, Atelier Ten,
Boyden & Company Dates 2007 – 2011 Scotch Partners
Durkan Pudelek Area 20,570 sqm
Team John McAslan + Partners
United World College East Africa NSD
Client United World College Davis Langdon
Dates 2006 BDP
Area 10,000 sqm Balfour Beatty
Team John McAslan + Partners
Arup Oasis Academy Enfield
Mruttu Salmon Associates Client London Borough of Enfield /
Manget IB Patel Oasis Community Learning
AEC Dates 2011 – 2012
Nobles Area 30,000 sqm
Team John McAslan + Partners
Malawi Schools Turner and Townsend
Client Clinton Global Initiative / Malawi Aecom
Ministry of Education Balfour Beatty
Dates 2008 – ongoing
Area 200 sqm (each classroom) Darwen Vale High School
Team John McAslan + Partners Client Darwen Vale High School / Blackburn
Arup, DSA and Bolton BSF
Dates 2008 – 2012
Harris Academy Area 10,150 sqm
Client DfES and The Harris Academy Trust Team Team John McAslan + Partners
Dates 2004 – 2008 Ramboll
Area 10,000 sqm Hoare Lea
Team John McAslan + Partners Turner & Townsend
Arup SRL
Davis Langdon Plincke Landscape Ltd
EC Harris Buro Happold
Wates Balfour Beatty

Craigmillar High School The British School, Rio de Janeiro Credits

Client Parc Craigmillar Client The British School Essay Jay Merrick, architecture critic
Dates 2009 – ongoing Dates 2012 – 2016 Design Lisa Sjukur, April
Area 10,000 sqm Team John McAslan + Partners
Team John McAslan + Partners
Jacobs
Wallace Whittle
Gleeds
Sandy Brown Associates
`We create architecture which improves people’s lives. We
aim for an architecture which is rational and poetic, robust
and delightful; we tread carefully and build with conviction;
we tackle problems head on and think laterally; we
deconstruct the brief and let a design emerge from a close
examination of the pieces; we don’t necessarily take ‘no’
for an answer; we believe the power of architecture extends
much further than the dimensions of individual buildings;
we believe architecture is about making life better.
We believe that buildings should be underpinned by a
powerful idea; that the idea should be an intelligent and
logical response to functionality and a sense of place; and
the power of that idea should be embedded in the built
form. That way, clients get the buildings they need and
society gets the architecture it deserves.
JOHN McASLAN + PARTNERS
www.mcaslan.co.uk
www.mcaslan.com.au
7– 9 William Road 13 Great King Street
London NW1 3ER Edinburgh EH3 6QW
T +44 (0)20 7313 6000 T +44 (0)131 557 0997
E mailbox@mcaslan.co.uk E edinburgh@mcaslan.co.uk
We believe that the city is one of humanity’s most
impressive and precious cultural achievements. We also
believe that cities are more than a collection of buildings;
cities are about connections, transport, communications,
public spaces and joy. We believe in locating our buildings
firmly into their contexts - not as slavish repetition but
as a considered response to site, materiality, amenity,
scale and culture.
We don’t believe in the value of a house style; if we have
a house style it is one of process, not of form. We are
functionalists. We believe a good building is an expression
of a clear and rational diagram. We believe in the value
of research. We believe in contemporary design for a
changing world.’
Level 14, 5 Martin Place
Sydney NSW 2000
T +61 (0)2 9158 3244
E mailbox@mcaslan.com.au