Oxshott, Surrey

The new Dining Hall, kitchens and two floors of classrooms are naturally ventilated and daylight to make full advantage of the elevated site overlooking the Surrey Hills and the South Downs beyond. 

The Dining Hall provides seating for 300 children and 40 staff in one sitting with adjacent Kitchen and serveries.  The flexible hall space can also be used for formal school functions.  The terrace with the layered arcade behind creates a much used outside dining and entertainment realm.

All the classrooms during daytime are manual cooled by the teachers operating high level letter box slot vent shafts which pierce through both floors to the roof, individual controlled external ventilation blinds filter the natural sun and daylight to maximise the East West facing Classrooms.  The horizontal sliding sash windows give excellent high and low level air flow across the rooms.  At night time the Building Management system opens or closes the vents and blinds to cool the building in the summer season.  During the winter months the venetian blinds regulate the solar gains.  The cross flow of air though the building significantly reduces  the CO² levels which stimulates the children’s learning.