Architects’ Journal Retrofit Award for Schools category

Extract from the  AJ Retrofit Awards site:

“This project, ‘a standout winner’ for the judges, is a joint venture between the Chefs in Schools charity and a federation of three Hackney primary schools. Sited at one of these, Mandeville Primary School, it consists of the conversion of a disused caretaker’s house into an educational kitchen for children and adults.

 Hackney School of Food by Surman Weston. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2020

Around this, a previously underused part of the school grounds has been turned into productive gardens with outdoor cooking and eating spaces, providing a new community space for local residents to enjoy.

The judges praised the scheme for being ‘refreshingly simple and modest while not afraid to make brave, bold moves, such as removing a floor’ or using spray-foam insulation under the roof, which is left exposed, minimising material use. It was also commended for ‘achieving an amazing amount on a tight budget’. It is, according to another judge, ‘a fantastic scheme full of a sense of fun and joy. This scheme not only reinvents the building but education too.’ RGWW”

Read more on the AJ Retrofit Awards 2021 website