A synopsis of the indicative plans for a refurbished Boroughmuir High School are here. These have been drawn up by Malcolm Fraser, a parent at Boroughmuir and highly respected architect, who has been involved in a number of recent refurbishments of historic buildings around the city.
A Renewed Boroughmuir High School Action for Boroughmuir / malcolm fraser architects
1. Main Building: new entrance area opened-up on the main floor, with 2. Reception and Offices facing. The existing lightwell 3. floored, glazed and opened-up alongside it to form a social, teaching and assembly place, as the other lightwell 4. already is to the floor above. These spaces – open entrance and large, lightfilled gathering places – are linked to provide the sort of shared “street” that is a feature of good newbuild schools. Here, the street might be called “Viewforth Vennel”.
5. Sports Block: to replace the guddle of odd buildings and cramped courts in the shadow of the main school to its north, a fullsized sports block is proposed, capable of taking 4 badminton courts, or full-size basketball, volleyball, netball or fives courts, to add to renewed and enlarged Sports facilities within the basement of the existing building.
6. New Classroom Building: replacing the low, existing CTA building is a tall classroom block that sits against the existing, 5-storey, blank gable of Viewforth Square (see below). This block provides large new classrooms to complement the small ones in the existing building. It might have a rooftop basketball court, with use and entry controlled through the school.
7. Dinner Pavilion: a new building for kids to lunch-in overlooks their playgrounds, encouraging social play in the school grounds at dinner time and helping to contain kids and noise from the surrounding streets.
8. Extended Playground
9. Extended Library: the existing, too small library is given a new mezzanine floor with magnificent, educational, panoramic views, over Edinburgh to Fife.
Summary: floorspace raised from 10856 m2 to a possible 14376 m2 (a rise in space of nearly one third), with many large new classrooms added; sports facilities onsite greatly increased; a culture of lunchtime food and play encouraged within an extended playground; and a generally repaired, renewed and refreshed Boroughmuir High School formed around an extended series of social, gathering places.
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