Bonhill Primary School
ClientWest Dunbartonshire Council
LocationWest Dunbartonshire
Project TypeSchool
CompletionAugust 2010
Value£5m
Area2,400sqm
Bonhill Primary School is a new 220 place village school on a brownfield site built opposite the existing smaller school.
The design concept that emerged in discussion with parents, teachers and pupils was that of a circular arrangement of class bases protecting an outdoor social space, which is expressed by two sweeping arcs of teaching wings and the larger form of an administration and hall block to the east.
The teaching wings, which feature red sandstone entrance pavilions at either end of the arcs, provide a scale suitable for young children, providing easily identifiable pupil entrances and clearly expressing the individual classroom elements so that the pupils can identify their space and gain reassurance from this.
A simple palette of materials provides a gentle feel to the school whilst referring back to the traditional local use of red sandstone.
“When children talk about their school in such spontaneous and enthusiastic terms, there cannot be a better measure for the success of any building.”
“Throughout the design stages careful consideration was given to providing the right balance for primary education and appropriate community use.”
In summary, the design provides an inspirational learning environment for the community of Bonhill.
