News
Plans for new science and technology buildings at Haileybury approved
Turley provided expert planning and heritage services to Haileybury School, a leading co-educational independent school, on plans for two state-of-the-art science and technology buildings. These new buildings will house globally renowned research and provide exceptional teaching and learning facilities for its pupils and the wider community.
The purpose of these innovative buildings is to improve the already strong science and technology offer at the school, install the latest technology to further challenge pupils and enhance their skills, and ultimately revolutionise how science and affiliated subjects are taught at the school.
The two buildings which will be known as The Science Centre and The Science Research Centre will double the size of the current provision and include the latest in IT, biology and robotics laboratories, computational science labs, DT facilities, nine teaching and seminar spaces, and an outdoor courtyard space.
The unique design of the buildings, created by Hopkins Architects, will promote better connectivity between science and technology subjects by encouraging communications, collaboration and cross-discipline innovation. They will also incorporate a range of features such as green roofs, cross-laminated timber and a ground source heat pump to contribute towards the school’s sustainability goals and journey towards becoming net zero.
The Science Research Centre will also be home to several pioneering research projects including the prestigious Stan-X project led by Stanford University, California. Stan-X is comparable to a graduate genetics course and is part of an innovative study involving other schools and colleges around the world. The goal of the research is to introduce pupils and their teachers to genuine, unscripted experimental science.
The exclusive SciTech buildings will not only benefit and inspire the staff and pupils of Haileybury, but they will also be accessible to its partner secondary academy, Haileybury Turnford and outreach programmes for local prep and secondary schools.
The SciTech buildings will be a c. £20 million building project, which the school could fund over the next 30 years and is currently welcoming sponsors and donations. This huge investment is part of Haileybury’s 15-year campus master plan to revolutionise not only its science and technology offer but includes plans for a cutting edge sports park and a state-of-the-art performance hub. The school has also recently invested in modernising its form room building, boarding houses and modern languages department.
Martin Collier, The Master at Haileybury, said:
“We are excited that our plans for the SciTech buildings have been approved. At Haileybury, we are creative, innovative and at the forefront of technology and are thrilled that these plans will see us continue to push boundaries and provide the best possible teaching and learning opportunities for our pupils and community.
“The essence of science is discovery, and we want our pupils to aspire to progress to higher education to study Science and Technology subjects and we are committed to ensuring they are prepared to do so. These new buildings will present Haileybury’s academic ambition, whilst continuing to enhance the architectural splendour of the School. It will demonstrate in practice, energy efficiency and sustainability, subjects that will themselves be taught to pupils as part of our Science and Technology curriculum.
“We have invested significantly in educational, co-curricular and boarding facilities in recent years as we believe it’s important to equip our pupils with the latest and best facilities in order to provide them with life-long skills; the SciTech buildings are a key milestone we continue to progress with our ambitious Master Plan.”
Planning Director, Jenny Page commented:
“Working with our heritage team we were able to secure planning permission for these new state of the art buildings within the Green Belt and a highly sensitive historic setting. We have been working with the team at Haileybury for over a decade and this latest approval will further develop the school’s reputation for innovation in the science and technology sectors.”
16 March 2022