Classrooms of the Future, Sandy and Potton,
UK, 2001-2003

At the UK Government’s Department for Education and Skills (DfES), the optimism of a new millennium brought about this ambitious scheme titled ‘Classrooms of the Future’ in 2000. 27 primary school extensions were commissioned, from which we were invited to design three in the towns of Sandy and Potton in Bedfordshire.

We designed an ‘open plan of rooms’ - which comprised of a central top-lit hall with side-lit satellite rooms flexibly divided off by sliding partitions and curtains. The classrooms are multi-directional and open to improvisation by teachers. Our buildings are tuned to their respective schools through simple shifts in form; and by changes to external colour and patterns on their floors. For the interiors our material choices were expressive, expedient and renewable and included coloured linoleum, felt, and mirror.