Trinity Academy Replacement – Phase 2
Phase 1 of the Trinity Academy redevelopment (the Sports and Outdoor Centre at Bangholm) was completed in July 2022
Phase 2 of the project (redeveloping the main school site for a 1200 student roll) is progressing through the design stages. The concept design stage has been completed and work is about to start on more detailed design. Part of this stage will involve seeking views on the proposals as part of a formal Planning process, and that will begin in January.
In the meantime, the following information is a summary of some of the work completed to date as part of the concept design.
The strategy to develop the main site at Craighall Avenue was agreed at Stage 1. This involves the retention of the Victorian Building (Block A) and the creation of a new, four-storey building to replace the remaining buildings (Blocks B to F).
The new school will provide a more integrated set of accommodation creating more outdoor space at the east side of the site.
Strategic Education Brief
Through the Stage 1 consultation process, a Strategic Education Brief was developed for the new Trinity Academy which reflects the school’s vision for the future and the Council’s wider Learning Estate Principles.
The brief involves the arrangement of traditional departments into faculty-based learning neighbourhoods that span different subjects and encourage collaborative learning across the school. These neighbourhoods are themselves arranged around a central ‘heartspace’ containing whole-school social, dining and assembly spaces. Located between the curriculum neighbourhoods and the central heartspace are flexible learning ‘collaborative and breakout’ areas. This overall arrangement of space is designed to provide a more coherent spatial organisation for the school community, allowing better circulation and opportunities for coming together. This is something which the existing Trinity Academy is sorely lacking due to the disparate set of buildings and poor circulation.
Design Proposal
- The ground floor has been developed to accommodate the main spaces which require external access.
- A new main entrance on the south elevation will provide access to the community facing side of the school, including the library and meeting rooms.
- The main dining / social space is located with direct access to additional external dining space to the east.
- Centrally located is the main assembly and theatre space.
- To the south of the assembly space is the Integrated Support area providing a secluded and quiet space with no through traffic and its own external entrance with dedicated garden area
- A flexible area on the first floor links physically and visually with both the main entrance and the dining area on the floor below, as part of the schools ‘heartspace’.
- Drama and Music accommodation is arranged around the double height assembly and theatre space.
- Support for Learning space on the first floor links well with both main subject teaching areas and the Integrated Support spaces on the ground floor.
- Technologies accommodation on the first floor is located above, and links to, associated faculty spaces on the ground floor
- The second floor accommodates Art, ICT and Maths teaching spaces at the east side of the new building, linking with associated faculty accommodation below.
- Flexible learning space is arranged around the atrium, continuing the ‘heartspace’ element at this level.
- Modern Languages classrooms and flexible learning spaces are provided on the west side of the new building at second floor level, with a direct physical and visual link to associated faculty accommodation within the Victorian building.
- Science and Maths accommodation is located on the third (top) floor.
- Flexible learning space is arranged around the atrium, continuing the ‘heartspace’ element at this level
- Flexible learning spaces are provided on the west side of the new building at third floor level, with a direct physical and visual link to associated faculty accommodation within the Victorian building.
Landscape Proposals
The project will rationalise the current buildings on the site to create better outdoor space for the school. The landscape architects have proposed that vehicular servicing will be directed to the north of the site, allowing the space at the west, the south and particularly the east, to be better used for outdoor dining and social space, with specific areas for outdoor learning and with facilities to support green travel and sustainability.
Decant Proposals
The existing school site is very tight and creating the new school will be a complex exercise. The building work and the school will have to co-exist in close proximity, and the work will need to be well-planned and completed in phases.
The initial phase of work will be to create temporary accommodation to the south of the school. Once this is in place, the school will be able to decant into this space and free up the accommodation in blocks B and C. These blocks will then be demolished and the new building built on their current footprint.
Once the new building is completed, the school will be able to move in, freeing up blocks D, E and F. The next phase of work will be to demolish blocks D, E and F and create the new external areas in their place. At the same time, the school will move out of Block A and into the decant accommodation while Block A (the Victorian building) will be refurbished. Once this is complete and the temporary buildings are removed, the project will be complete. The next stage of design work will consider these operational aspects in more detail.
Trinity Academy Redevelopment Newsletter Archive
futureschoolsedinburgh.com 