Skip to main content
Asia

King's College School, Wimbledon - new music school

This award-winning timber structure is exemplary for the achievement of client vision, innovative architecture and structural design.

Blue theatre style seating in the timber music auditorium

Location

London, United Kingdom

Client

King's College School, Wimbledon

Architect

Hopkins Architects

The project objective was to create a state-of-the-art music facility for a leading academic school in the UK. The new building is arranged over three floors, comprising a suite of sound-proofed practice rooms, a stunning concert hall (which can accommodate an audience of 200 alongside a 70-piece orchestra), specialist classrooms, the new porters' lodge and staff administration/office spaces.

The site presented a variety of engineering challenges caused by the high-water table. This required engineering solutions to prevent flooding, floatation and an integrated surface water drainage system. The geotechnical solutions had to be sympathetic to the make-up of the ground, which included clay and gravel.

Barney Jordan commented, "The key success of this project is the integrated design approach between Cundall, the architect, the school and the wider project team. The highly sustainable structural timber diagrid roofs are particularly elegant - achieving the desired acoustics while minimising the overall massing of the buildings."

Key fact

Timber components were prefabricated off-site following close collaboration between teams

1/3

Key fact

All timber for the design was PEFC and FSC certified

2/3

Key fact

Construction material had a lower embodied carbon compared to other standard materials

3/3

Barney Jordan sitting on arm of sofa with marble background

Barney Jordan

Partner, Structures

View bio

The process was collaborative through to final completion and has resulted in a beautiful and functional structure that will nurture a love of music and building design for generations to come.

Related