The Mackenzie Thorpe Centre is an independent specialist school based in South Bank, Redcar and Cleveland, for learners aged 4-19, run by the North East Autism Society. With the awareness the school service user intake would increase over the years, this project looked to areas where the existing buildings could be extended upon. Boundaries were close, so an exercise was undertaken to see how a ‘vertical extension’, that also extended over existing play areas, could provide for more teaching provision and staff space.
Consider proximity of current site boundaries.
Work with the site and existing landscaped areas.
Reconfigure ground floor areas while working with existing circulation zones.
Allow for classroom spaces, staff/store areas and flexible teaching provision.
Make use of views out at first floor, over the existing landscaped areas.
Following our initial meeting with the PWA team, they got straight to work on the masterplanning process. Ensuring optimal building efficiency was a key priority for us, and they met our requirements perfectly—we’re absolutely delighted with the outcome. We were kept fully informed at every stage of the project, and no question was ever off limits. Phil, Lee and the team are fantastic at what they do, and I would highly recommend them.
