A Victorian primary school in south London has been given a new lease of life thanks to an exciting modern extension that features vibrant polychromatic glass set into an aluminium facade supplied by leading building envelope specialist, Schueco International.

The striking new building is at Clapham Manor Primary School for the London Borough of Lambeth. Four storeys tall, it utilises Schueco FW50+ SG, a system designed for constructing façades that while large, are also elegant in appearance with only slender shadow joints visible from the outside. In addition, Schueco FW50+ SG delivers excellent thermal insulation and, with an optional stainless steel spacer in the glazing, it can achieve a U_f value down to 1.6 W/m^²K.

Philip Marsh, director of dRMM Architects, the practice responsible for the project, is clear about the reasons for choosing Schueco: “We specified Schueco because of its reputation as a world-class manufacturer of high-quality curtain-walling systems which meet 21st Century requirements for performance, insulation and safety.

“At the pre-planning stage, Schueco was actively involved in developing technical solutions in collaboration with the frame installers. During this design development stage, the most appropriate solution was determined to be the Schueco SG system.

“We replaced the typical formal grid of curtain walling with a random grid to provide an expression appropriate for a primary school, both inside and out. The support of the Schueco Technical team and the Client Development Manager was invaluable at this and every stage.

“As architects, we like to use generic components in creative ways, making special buildings from standard products. For this project, we feel we've done just that.“

The recently completed extension is Phase 1 of a two-phase redevelopment aimed at ensuring that Clapham Manor Primary School can accommodate the doubling of pupil numbers that has resulted from its growing reputation for educational excellence. Phase 2 will be the remodelling of the Victorian building to bring all the classrooms up to current DCSF space standards.