{"id":159619,"date":"2025-09-25T13:46:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T13:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/159619\/"},"modified":"2025-09-25T13:46:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T13:46:10","slug":"alison-and-peter-smithson-school-to-be-refurbished-before-it-is-too-late","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/159619\/","title":{"rendered":"Alison and Peter Smithson school to be refurbished “before it is too late”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plans have been unveiled by London-based architecture studio Jestico + Whiles<\/a> to revitalise Alison and Peter Smithson<\/a>‘s 1950s Smithdon High School in Norfolk<\/a>, UK.<\/p>\n

Completed by the duo in 1954, the Grade II*-listed secondary school<\/a>, previously named Hunstanton School, comprises two glass and steel structures that both are in need of updating.<\/p>\n

According to Jestico + Whiles<\/a>, the refurbishment will see a series of issues resolved with the building’s fabric to ensure the school can be “used fully as the Smithson’s had originally intended”.<\/p>\n

Updates to the structure\u00a0will include new facade glazing, the expansions of classroom spaces and removal of “unsympathetic additions” for improved accessibility.<\/p>\n

\"Free-standingThe grade II*-listed Smithdon High School will be refurbished by Jestico + Whiles<\/p>\n

“This unique project aims to save this highly significant building before it is too late,” director at Jestico + Whiles Ben Marston said.<\/p>\n

“By addressing these functional challenges, the whole building will be able to be fully used once more,” the studio said.<\/p>\n

“This in turn means that a series of unsympathetic additions can be cleared, restoring the building’s original arrangement and architectural integrity,” it added.<\/p>\n

The redevelopment is being funded by the Department for Education School Rebuilding Programme, with the redesigns lead by Jestico + Whiles in collaboration with contractor Bowmer + Kirkland<\/a>, conservation architects Purcell<\/a>, planning consultants DPP<\/a> and engineering firm Arup<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Construction on the site is set to begin 2026, with the school expected to reopen in 2028. Temporary classroom blocks will be built on site during the construction.<\/p>\n

\"VisualisationThe renovation will improve the school’s learning spaces and energy usage<\/p>\n

The school’s two-storey blocks are formed of a rectilinear concrete and steel framework infilled with brick. Materials and services were left exposed across the exterior and interior in line with the Smithson’s concept of New Brutalism.<\/p>\n

Notable features of the school include a free-standing water tower, listed gymnasium and double-height hall, which will see its infill offices removed to renew a connection with the internal courtyards.<\/p>\n

“Conservation gains include improving transparency at ground floor and bringing the central hall closer to its original character,” the studio said.<\/p>\n

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Brutalist London school to host UK’s first brutalist architecture museum\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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To address an issue of overheating, which had led to a number of fixed glass panes to break across the facade, the school’s existing windows will be replaced with high-performance glazing.<\/p>\n

Other improvements by Jestico + Whiles will include the reopening of roof lights that had previously been concealed, along with the repositioning the main entrance and rearrangement of internal partitions to create larger classrooms.<\/p>\n

Additionally, a series of initiatives to improve the building’s environmental performance will include insulating the building, installing a new all-electric heating system and building a 2,750 square metre photovoltaic array.<\/p>\n

Recent projects by Jestico + Whiles include the updating of a historic London school with a contemporary take on its Grade II-listed Edwardian campus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Other projects by Alison and Peter Smithson\u00a0include the brutalist Robin Hood Gardens, which was demolished in 2017<\/a> with a fragment now in the V&A East Storehouse<\/a>, and the Economist Plaza, which was renovated by London-based DSDHA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The images are courtesy of Jestico + Whiles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Plans have been unveiled by London-based architecture studio Jestico + Whiles to revitalise Alison and Peter Smithson‘s 1950s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":159620,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[72688,6225,6485,6486,1120,96,72687,49163,41845,35079,1904,40339,40340,40341,56,72686,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-159619","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-alison-and-peter-smithson","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-artsanddesign","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-jestico-whiles","15":"tag-mid-century-renovations","16":"tag-refurbishments","17":"tag-renovations","18":"tag-schools","19":"tag-sectionall","20":"tag-sectionarchitecture","21":"tag-sectionnews","22":"tag-uk","23":"tag-uk-schools","24":"tag-united-kingdom","25":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159619"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}