King’s Cross Academy and Frank Barnes School
- Status
- Completed 2015
- Client
- King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership
- Value
- Confidential
- Procurement Method
- Design and Build
- Services
- Architect and Lead Consultant
- Scale
- 31,729m²
Awards
- International Property Awards 2016-2017 ‘Best Mixed-Use Development‘ - Winner
- New London Awards 2014 - Winner
- Housing Design Award 2016 - Shortlisted
- Construction News Awards 2016 - Shortlisted
- RIBA London Award 2016 - Winner
King’s Cross Academy is a primary school for King’s Cross. The school is located in The Plimsoll Building at the heart of the King’s Cross development. The purpose-built school opened in September 2015.
- Status
- Completed 2015
- Client
- King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership
- Value
- Confidential
- Procurement Method
- Design and Build
- Services
- Architect and Lead Consultant
- Scale
- 31,729m²
Awards
- International Property Awards 2016-2017 ‘Best Mixed-Use Development‘ - Winner
- New London Awards 2014 - Winner
- Housing Design Award 2016 - Shortlisted
- Construction News Awards 2016 - Shortlisted
- RIBA London Award 2016 - Winner
In the first year, the primary school had two reception classes for up to 60 children and a 26-place nursery for 3 to 5 year old children. As the King’s Cross community grew, the Academy expanded with places for 420 primary school pupils aged 4 to 11, plus the nursery. King’s Cross Academy is co-located in The Plimsoll Building with the Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children. The two schools share not just a building, but enjoy a close partnership at all levels. The Academy teaches British Sign Language and the shared spaces give the children the chance to communicate together.
The two schools occupy the ground and first floors of the 14-storey Plimsoll Building – an apartment building set alongside Regent’s Canal in the heart of the King’s Cross development. The Plimsoll Building comprises 178 private apartments.
Street pod
“Frank Barnes has a national and international reputation as a centre of excellence for deaf education. David Morley Architects care and respect the importance of children being at the centre of the design process.”
The schools themselves are arranged around an internal top-lit street which allows each school to have its own identity but also to benefit from a core of central shared facilities. The classrooms are mainly at first floor level around the perimeter with generous bay windows to capture as much daylight as possible.
An inclusive design approach enables both deaf and mainstream school children to benefit from shared facilities including sound field in every classroom. Generous circulation spaces to enable signing, curved corridor corners, glazed screens and straight staircases all add to the comfort for deaf children.
Jamie Oliver promoting healthy eating in the school hall
Internal street
Fully accessible classrooms
