Silverwood SEND School
Wiltshire, UK
Services
Sectors
![Silverwood School Enscape image](https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/Silverwood-SEND/Silverwood-School-Enscape-image.jpg?w=800&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1712324909&s=b9c4b62a8c63429139900ee104f75662 800w, https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/Silverwood-SEND/Silverwood-School-Enscape-image.jpg?w=1100&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1712324909&s=b3d7876b49fe8f13833471d1b5e1139e 1100w, https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/Silverwood-SEND/Silverwood-School-Enscape-image.jpg?w=1300&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1712324909&s=4f7f714deebb81916d62985c783e958d 1300w, https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/Silverwood-SEND/Silverwood-School-Enscape-image.jpg?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1712324909&s=cfbc363758845fa15028d5a2bd3a8535 1600w, https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/Silverwood-SEND/Silverwood-School-Enscape-image.jpg?w=1920&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1712324909&s=08b3686733b68de2e0f17b00094a4cc6 1920w)
project overview
Ensuring every child with SEND receives the best education possible
Silverwood School places the safety, comfort and wellbeing of Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) students at its heart. The 350-place net zero carbon school will provide a bespoke learning environment from nursery to post-16, for students with moderate and complex needs.
Encompassing new build and refurbishment on the Rowde Campus in Wiltshire, our holistic approach makes sure spaces are inclusive and engaging, whilst also being entirely adaptable to individual learning and physical needs
Surrounded by woodland, students across the full range of abilities will enjoy an enriching learning and social experience with safe access to outdoor courtyards, all weather pitches and sensory gardens.
Project aims
Inherent flexibility to cater for a diverse range of SEND requirements
The brief was clear; create a calm, safe and comfortable space for children and young people across the full range of special education needs - considering visual impairments, profound and multiple learning disabilities as well as the autism spectrum.
Our highly tailored approach prioritises ‘equity on every floor’, understanding the importance of proxemics, compartmentalisation, legibility, movement and sensory overload in ensuring everyone has a chance to thrive and reach their full potential.
Recognising students with special educational needs can find the school environment overwhelming, the facilities are designed entirely around them. With specialised classrooms, a hydrotherapy pool and therapy, sanitary, nurse spaces. Each of the four dining spaces are designed for neurodiversity, catering to diverse sensory needs with large, open spaces, fostering inclusivity and providing comfortable environments for all students to thrive.
Guided by Wiltshire Council’s requirement to achieve ‘net zero carbon – operational energy’ standard, we designed a fully energy efficient environment.
design concept
Fostering meaningful interaction between students and teachers
Interior Design
Creating a sense of visual calm and relaxation
To help students to feel more relaxed and lessen distractions or discomfort when moving through the building, we used a consistent colour scheme. This simple palette reflects the natural tones of the exposed timber in the school as well as the surrounding woodlands, instilling a sense of calm and avoiding sensory overload.
The interior spaces are configured to keep background noise to a minimum, helping students to stay engaged whether they’re writing, focusing on reading the lips of their speech therapists or immersed in the hydrotherapy pool.
Natural daylight is infused throughout, brightening up the space without allowing it to overheat or invite glare through the building’s logical orientation.
Landscape design
Safely nurturing learning and exploration
Sustainability
Smart, safe and energy efficient environment
Targeting net zero carbon in operation, our design reduces energy consumption and carbon dioxide production through passive design principles. This includes maximising natural daylight, incorporating sensitive acoustics and promoting good ventilation, aligning with the school’s sustainability targets.
The school will generate much of its own energy, utilising photovoltaic panels and already benefiting from an existing energy centre. The energy centre also houses the existing biomass boiler, offering a sustainable, cost effective and efficient heating solution. We utilised cross laminated timber, reducing operation costs alongside occupier operated systems which will enable the school to control their own lighting, heating and ventilation.
key information
Project summary
Location
Wiltshire, SN10 2QQ
Client
Wiltshire Council
Size
7,400 m2
Value
£30m
Environmental
Net zero carbon - operational energy
Includes
350 pupil spaces for MLD, SLD, ASD, PD and PMLD
Specialist teaching spaces
Therapy rooms
Sensory garden
Hydrotherapy pool
Multi-use games area
Performance hall
Farm
Horticultural garden
Flexible enterprise zone
Team
Meet the team behind the project
Contact
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