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St Marylebone School
Gumuchdjian Architects | |
| location | London |
| function | secondary school |
| contributed by | davidb |
Some years ago St Marylebone School was in dire need of more space - especially a gymnasium. However it is located in one of the most expensive areas in London, so it couldn't afford to buy more land. Because of its very tight site, the only solution was to go down into the ground. This had its own problems, since the only available space was the school playground, which lay on the site of an old church yard. During excavations, the remains of over 2000 bodies had to be exhumed, including those of the painter George Stubbs and the architect James Gibbs. The final building has a two storey deep gym, lit from one side, via a light well. Roller shutter doors at the boundary between inside and out can be rolled up to increase the size. On the south side of the gym, still underground, are two floors of studios, and above these - above ground level - are three further floors of classrooms, all linked by a new vertical circulation core.
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