A sensitively designed new primary school blending traditional materials and natural light, creating a joyful, open, low-profile learning environment in a rural valley.
Winner of New Project Award – Salisbury Civic Society.
A sensitively designed new primary school blending traditional materials and natural light, creating a joyful, open, low-profile learning environment in a rural valley.
Winner of New Project Award – Salisbury Civic Society.
Client: Salisbury Diocesan Board of Finance / Wiltshire County Council
Value: £1.8m
Location: Broad Chalke, Wiltshire
Architect: Michael Lyons Architecture
Located in the picturesque Wiltshire village of Broad Chalke, this new school was conceived to offer a modern educational facility for the community while reflecting the local vernacular. The school’s staff and governors specifically sought a building with no long corridors, preferring instead a central resource area flanked by classrooms. Natural light and ventilation were highlighted as priorities to foster a healthy, positive learning environment.
To realise this brief, the school is arranged in two wings with the central hub housing the shared resource space. The building sits on a north–south axis, giving classrooms either an east or west-facing aspect, optimising daylight. The hall, which doubles as a community space, is centrally located but set back, allowing after-hours access. AWA’s structural team worked closely with the project’s architects to engineer this low-profile, curved layout. The superstructure consists of a timber frame with glulam timber roof members, with traditional brick and flint walls, a nod to local building traditions.
By choosing glulam and timber framing, AWA delivered a structure with strong environmental credentials: timber is renewable, lightweight, and has lower embodied carbon than steel or concrete. Our engineers made use of these advantages while ensuring durability, building robustness, and long-term performance.
AWA Consulting Engineers is a structural, civil, and marine engineering consultancy established in 1987, with a hard-won but deserved reputation for delivering excellence in our profession.
Our philosophy is simple: we put people first. This has resulted in a high number of repeat clients and an impressive track record of successful award-winning projects. We are proud to be professional, and approachable; we believe this makes us the ideal partner for your project.
AWA has technical teams in our offices located in Romsey, Hampshire and Bath, Somerset. We deliver services to clients typically across the South, South East and South West.
Our team includes both chartered structural engineers and chartered civil engineers committed to continuous professional development ensuring you benefit from up to date industry expertise, whatever your project entails.
To find out more about how AWA Consulting Engineers can help with your project, get in touch today. Email mail@awaengineers.com and one of the team will be in touch. Alternatively, call 01794 524447 to speak to a member of our team.
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