Northbury SEND Classroom

Delivered for the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, this £1 m scheme provides a new purpose-built SEND classroom and associated landscaping at Northbury.

The project comprised the construction of a single-storey teaching space, external canopy, brick boundary walls and a bespoke sensory garden.

Architecturally refined and technically demanding, the building combines striking zinc roof geometry with exposed internal timber structure to create a calm, characterful learning environment designed around specialist SEND provision.

The Brief

Create a dedicated SEND learning environment that:

• Provides a calm and supportive internal setting

• Integrates external sensory space

• Meets modern sustainability standards

• Sits confidently within the existing school estate

• Is delivered within a live school environment

The design required careful coordination to deliver a distinctive intersecting zinc roof form, robust internal finishes suitable for specialist use, and integrated renewable technologies including photovoltaic panels and an air source heat pump.

Delivery

The scheme demanded tight sequencing and precision execution.

Key elements included:

• Structural internal wall construction

• Zinc roof installation and detailing

• External canopy and boundary wall construction

• Screed installation and internal fit-out

• M&E first and second fix

• External services connections

• PV installation

Delivered within a constrained and operational school setting, the project required careful logistics management and close collaboration between commercial, project and site teams.

The Result

The completed Northbury SEND classroom provides a purpose-designed, architecturally confident space that supports inclusive education.

Beyond the technical delivery, the outcome is a learning environment that feels calm, considered and robust. A space designed not simply to function, but to support independence, regulation and confidence.