Haggerston School, Hackney, London



Architect
Erno Goldfinger
Date Built
1964 - 1965
Location
Weymouth Terrace
Description
This Grade II listed school building was designed by the architect of London's Trellick and Balfron Towers.  Opened as a school for girls, it is today a coeducational secondary school offering 1100 places to children from the local community.  The school describes itself as, “ ... a Community School and a specialist Science, Maths and Technology College.  Haggerston School is a specialist training school and has the biggest sports facilities of any school in Hackney.”  The English Heritage listing for the building describes it as having a, "Reinforced concrete frame with concrete and brick infill. The plan has three linked blocks, a central teaching spine incorporating first-floor library, with entrance block to west containing an assembly hall, music facilities and staff accommodation, and gymnasia to east." 




-- The Goldfinger Block --



The English Heritage listing information describes the main block of the school as follows: "The teaching block of twelve main bays, the classrooms with four units of square windows per bay interrupted by three staircases with full-height metal glazing and doors at their foot. Three storeys, with two rooftop classrooms and central watertank between them. .......





........  Concrete parapet rail similar to those formerly at the listed Trellick and Balfron Towers by Goldfinger but now removed. Projecting bays at the southern end of the western elevation with larger windows and opening louvres house the library and specialist teaching areas, while on the east facade projecting rooms at the northern end, similarly treated, house year rooms. Internal walls plastered and non load-bearing, served by central spinal corridor with brick paviours and some original doors."





In an article on the "bdonline" website, dated May 2009, John Allan, director at Avanti Architects, commented on the work underway by Avanti at Haggerston as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme"A key focus will be on adapting the main teaching block. It is intended to move away from the traditional classroom format and introduce pastoral homebases where small learning teams are centred on project-based assignments. The skeletal frame structure lends itself well to such interpretation, each end of the building being reconfigured to provide a variety of new learning settings. Spatial typologies will include study carrel areas, seminar rooms, break-out space, light science studios and small group rooms in addition to a retained number of formal classrooms and presentation suites.  The establishment of these “project clusters”, each comprising approximately 90 pupils within the lower age ranges, has the added advantage of reducing the congestion and attendant disruption associated with inter-classroom traffic along narrow corridors that characterises traditional teaching regimes."




-- The Entrance Block --



Access into the school from Weymouth Terrace goes through the Entrance Block.  It contains the assembly hall and the school's reception office.








-- The Drama and Sports Block --

"Gymnasium block on two levels, the lower sports hall formerly open at the sides and retaining spectator area. To side, former common room now learning resource centre with timber lined wall, built-in timber banking and kitchen counter. "






-- Caretakers House --



This Grade II listed building was part of the original Goldfinger design for the school.  At that time it was intended to be the caretakers house.




-- The Creative Block --

 A recent addition to Goldfinger suite of buildings is a building on the northern corner of the site designated in the plan below as the Creative centre.





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