Architects CPMG have been selected to design a new state of the art secondary school in a contract worth £6m.
Planning has been granted for a 350 pupil school to be built on land at the Lakeside site in Doncaster which will be open in September this year.
This central location was chosen by the XP School as it wanted to be in a substantial catchment area and this location enables a large number of potential pupils to walk from home.
Senior architect Karen Slade from CPMG said: “XP School is a secondary free school that bases itself on the highly successful practice of High Tech High and Expeditionary Learning schools in America.
“The building adopts a simple and legible arrangement in plan over two floors. Whilst the footprint is compact and efficient, it has been designed to be flexible, light and spacious to allow for group learning and to bring a sense of integrity and community, which facilitates the learning philosophy and project based learning.
“XP School is forward thinking in its approach to education and it was key to design a building which reflected that and encapsulates the founder’s vision.”
XP School aims aim is to involve students in project based learning to provide them with opportunities for developing an ethic of excellence by creating beautiful and meaningful pieces of work.
The design of the building is unique as it can be separated into three areas split by two circulation foot routes - an administration and library area, a central core teaching area and teaching wing. Outside features include stepped grass seating for outdoor drama performances and a paved teaching area for design and technology lessons.
Construction firm Wates, contracted CPMG to begin work onsite this year. Phil Harrison, managing director at Wates Construction North, said: “Wates’ track record in building schools has, in the past three years, provided what we hope to be inspirational learning spaces that make a meaningful difference to the education of the town’s young people.
”Our emphasis is always on ensuring that educational buildings are tailored to address the individual needs of the school and its curriculum, a focus that we will be sharing with XP School throughout construction.”
As part of the design, measures have been put forward to make the building sustainable including hybrid ventilation heat recovery units to avoid maintain consistent temperatures and air tightness to minimise energy use.