The Gregg School – building for the future…
27 Sep 2016
Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, Vice-Chancellor of Southampton University has officially opened The Gregg School’s new teaching facility, Hart.
Named in tribute to the School’s former Headteacher, Roger Hart, and in recognition of the many deer which roam our grounds, Hart provides five Science Laboratories, a Food Technology suite, four classrooms for English and a large atrium area for Performing Arts.
Hart, which replaces temporary single storey buildings, will enable The Gregg School to set aside rooms of historical significance within the main building, Townhill Park House. (For example, Lady Swaythling’s panelled Boudoir, which until now has been in daily use as a classroom, and is in need of some restoration!)
Located directly in woodland, next to a purpose-built badger set, cameras will be installed as part of a wildlife monitoring programme, enabling students to study not just the badgers but a host of other wildlife including owls, bats and deer. There’s even a specially-constructed Stag Beetle habitat!
The location was chosen primarily to avoid any impact on the Grade II Listed gardens which were designed by Gertrude Jekyll, one of England’s foremost garden designers.
The building has been constructed to strict ecological guidelines, including PV Cells on the lower roof to help generate electricity and a Passive Air Ventilation System to control the internal temperature. Students in the School’s Eco Group have been actively involved in the project, visiting the factory where modular elements were constructed and viewing the building during its various onsite construction stages.
Headteacher, Mrs Sheri Sellers, said: “The opening of this new building represents four years of hard work on behalf of my Senior team and our Trustees. We are extremely excited about HART and its contemporary space that now resides beautifully in our Arboretum. The design-phase of this extended project highlighted the careful consideration we had to pay to our Grounds’ unique ecology and listed status and I am pleased that we have exceeded those strict environmental criteria that were given to us.
The result is a beautiful space within which our students can study. Every classroom has direct access or views to our woodland/gardens which make educational opportunities in an `outdoor classroom` immediately accessible.
Indeed, the ‘feel’ of the building is one of space, calm and of bringing the outside, inside. We considered colours carefully and aimed for peaceful tones that enhanced the view of our rare trees, turning each view out of every window into a work of art!
I have no doubt that this development will further serve to enhance the outstanding educational experience that we offer here at The Gregg.
Our teaching staff love their new classrooms, as do our students – last week I was told that even the deer were trying to get in to our new Head of Science’s laboratory!
We are thrilled to add this lovely space to our interesting suite of buildings at Townhill Park. It will not only be used by our own students but will also provide opportunities for children in and around Southampton with our community link activities not just in the short term but for years to come.