Green Light for Hazlehead Academy Campus
Planning permission was unanimously approved for the new Hazlehead Academy Campus on 6 November by Aberdeen City Council Planning Committee.
The existing 1970s school buildings will be replaced with a new fit for purpose campus building which will accommodate an increased school catchment area, with a student capacity of 1,600 pupils.
The project was awarded funding through Scottish Futures Trust’s Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP), and is being delivered as part of the Hub North Schools Programme.
Built to LEIP 3 targets, the campus will provide a high quality, digitally enabled learning environment that is designed and maintained for long term sustainability. It will meet ambitious energy efficiency and embodied carbon standards, directly contributing to Scotland’s net zero commitments.
Initial visioning sessions with key stakeholders set the base for a robust briefing process, followed by inclusive engagement with the wider school community and end users to address existing challenges and shape meaningful improvements through the new campus design.
Chris Malcolm, principal at Ryder, said: “This marks an important milestone on the journey of the new Hazlehead Academy. We are really excited by the quality of internal and external learning spaces we have designed through close engagement and collaboration with Aberdeen City Council, and look forward to seeing these realised in the construction stage.”
The design of the external envelope is inspired by the local historic context. The courtyard layout and pitched roofs create a series of gable ends along each elevation, reflecting an architectural language seen throughout Aberdeen’s history. The use of gable ends establish order and break down the massing of a large, complex building.
A colonnade wraps between them, framing the internal courtyard and entrance area, introducing a sense of order and regularity to the façades. A distinct datum line is established at the colonnade and second floor, creating a visual break that helps to reduce the overall massing. Above this, a lighter material is introduced at the upper level and behind the colonnade, further breaking down the scale. This allows openings to be positioned more freely at the upper level, where classroom layouts are more irregular compared to the structured grid of the lower floors.
Landscape design and sustainability expertise has been provided by Ryder’s landscape team and sister company, built environment consultancy Okana. Environmental factors such as wind and solar exposure were thoughtfully integrated from the outset into the internal layout, massing, and landscape design. The building form has created a series of courtyards which have been developed into a series of dynamic, sheltered, outdoor learning spaces that reflect the internal environments and will transform a currently underutilised site.
Enabling works are due to commence in November, with full site completion in 2029.
