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Mary Hare School, New Primary School and Estate rationalisation

Completion Date September 2022

Contract Value £8m

Client Mary Hare

ArchitecturePLB have completed a comprehensive estate rationalisation for Mary Hare, a specialist education provider for deaf children and young people. The project has co-locate their commercial enterprises, including earmould manufacturing and hearing aid repair shop with educational facilities on the Snelsmore campus.

The centrepiece of the masterplan is a new state of the art primary school and boarding house which has brought together primary and secondary pupils on one campus for the first time. The campus is within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the design team worked closely with the local planning to ensure that the new primary school is sensitive to its landscape setting and makes a positive contribution to the campus. The building is low lying and takes advantage of the topography, nestling into the hillside.

Six classrooms are arranged in a curved section overlooking the field and towards expansive views across the landscape. Each classroom has been designed to open onto an external learning terrace with stairs and slides leading down to the soft play areas. The landscape is as important as the internal spaces in providing a rich learning experience, and there are also plans to include a forest classroom within the woods.