• Masterplan for Ralph Allen School

Ralph Allen School Masterplan

Since 2010 Feilden Fowles have been working closely with Ralph Allen School, a co-educational comprehensive secondary school in Bath, on various projects ranging from landscape interventions to multiple new buildings.
Central to the success of these interventions has been the creation and continuous evolution of a campus masterplan, to guide and focus interventions within the context of the school’s ambition and changing requirements.
The underlying principles of the masterplan have remained consistent throughout its evolution: decluttering the site of dilapidated demountable buildings; opening views across the valley and Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; renovating the ageing building fabric; reinforcing and creating a series of landscaped courtyard gardens, offering relaxed outdoor spaces for socialising and play; and improving the visual identity of the site with enhanced teaching and learning facilities.
To date, an additional 2,750sqm of learning and social space has been created on the campus, including: The Lee Centre (2012), The Rose Building (2014), the new Dining Hall (2019) and the Katherine Johnson Building (2020). In addition, outline planning permission has been granted for a new multipurpose theatre and drama studios – planned to start construction in 2021 – which will complete the current masterplan phase.
This year, the campus masterplan is being revisited to align with the school’s climate emergency declaration and ambitious aim of becoming net zero carbon. The new masterplan will inform the carbon strategy for the school campus over the next decade, incorporating enhancements to the original buildings, renewable energy production and net-zero development.

Masterplan timeline:
The Lee Centre, 2014
The Rose Building, 2015
Dining Hall, 2019
Katherine Johnson Building, 2020

Future phases:
Theatre and drama studios

Team

Main contractor: H Mealing & Sons
QS and PM: Peter Gunning & Partners
Structural engineer: Momentum
M&E engineer: e3

Awards

The Lee Centre, Civic Trust Award 2015, winner
The Lee Centre, RICS South West Community Benefit Award 2015, highly commended
The Lee Centre, RIBA National Award 2014, winner
The Lee Centre, RIBA South West Award 2014, winner
The Rose Building, LABC B&NES Design Quality Award 2014, winner
The Rose Building, LABC B&NES Building Control Award 2014, highly commended
The Lee Centre, LABC B&NES Construction Quality Award 2013, winner
The Lee Centre, LABC B&NES Design Quality Award 2013, winner

Selected Press

April 2022, Architecture Today, Works: Dining hall and Katherine Johnson Building, Ralph Allen School, Wendy Perring

Drawings