Work is set to begin on new school premises for Pencoedtre High School in Barry, Wales, which we’ve designed on behalf of Vale of Glamorgan Council.
The project forms part of a £34.7 million investment by the Vale council and Welsh Government, which will see more than £135 million invested in transforming educational facilities across the Vale of Glamorgan.
The new school will cater for up to 1050 pupils and 200 sixth form students, as well as providing facilities for students with additional and enhanced learning needs. It will consist of two, three-storey teaching wings built around a ‘heart space’ featuring a dining hall, main hall, and courtyard. The scheme also includes performance spaces and state-of-the-art sporting facilities such as an all-weather hockey pitch, grassed football and rugby pitches, games courts and an indoor sports hall.
The double-storeyed sports hall will be accessible to the local community, and will be located between the ground floor and a further lower ground level, which connects directly to the outdoor sporting facilities.
The new school is expected to welcome students in January 2022, with construction on the whole site being completed in spring 2023.
“This new school has been designed carefully as a vibrant, welcoming state-of-the-art facility, catering to a larger and more diverse student body as well as open for use by the surrounding community. We have worked closely with the council and residents from the onset to ensure that the buildings are a celebration of the special heritage of the local area. Six iconic landmarks of Barry were developed into simplified graphic illustrations, used for Wayfinding, and also a feature wall in the main entrance of the school. The building façade has been modelled on local landmarks to complement the town’s industrial past. We hope all these aspects come together and help create a modern, intriguing educational environment where local children can reach their potential, and continue to play at the heart of the community for years to come,” said Gareth Woodfin, Studio Director, Cyfarwyddwr Stiwdio, HLM Architects.