feilden clegg bradley creates sunlit studios for art and design school in the english countryside

architects feilden clegg bradley studios (FCB) have completed the new art and design building for the bedales school in the UK. the design references traditional agricultural buildings to create a series of seamlessly connected barn forms built around nature. the center, photographed here by hufton + crow, will house a wide range of art and design classes including painting, fashion and industrial design.  

the new art and design center will provide an integrated creative hub for painting, fashion, and industrial design
all images © hufton + crow, unless otherwise stated

interconnected art-studios on the upper floor enable teaching and independent study while craft-based design courses are held on the ground floor. external circulation across covered decks provides flexible spaces to draw, paint or relax. the building sits in the shadow of a 300 year old oak tree, alongside a range of old barns in which ‘outdoor work’ is taught. FCB emphasized sustainability and a connection to nature through passive design techniques maximizing natural daylighting, ensuring temperature control, and employing renewable material techniques.

passive design techniques maximize natural daylighting and ensure temperature control

materials were used in their natural state throughout: a lattice timber screen shelters the entrance canopy and external walkway creating a welcoming gesture on approach to the building. ‘through the sensitive siting, form and material choice, the building engages in dialogue with adjacent existing buildings, on what is a complex site with rich history’, a judge explains on awarding the 2017 RIBA national award to the new center. 

pitched roofs of the new art and design building define a series of carefully scaled, north-lit studio spaces within

the center houses a wide range of art and design classes including painting, fashion and industrial design

interconnected art studios enable teaching and independent study for a wide range of group sizes and activities

use of light offers varied experience for users and visitors alike

the architects maximize natural daylighting and reduce the need for artificial lighting

renewable natural materials include sustainably sourced timber for cladding and wood fibre acoustic panels

timber-slatted screens and the retained large oak tree both provide solar shading in the summer months
image © matthew rice

a lattice timber screen shelters the entrance canopy creating a welcoming gesture on approach to the building

external circulation across covered decks double as places to draw, paint, sculpt or relax

the design references traditional agricultural buildings with clipped gables and simple standing-seam metal roofs

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project info:

client: bedales school
architect: feilden clegg bradley studios
contractor: E W beard construction
structural engineer: andrews newby
environmental/m&e engineers: silcock dawson & partners ltd
quantity surveyor/cost consultant: stace LLP
project management: big yellow group PLC
acoustic engineers: arup
planning: quod
location: petersfield
construction value: £3,900,000
completion: autumn 2016