'In April of this year Hugh Cullum and Richard
Nightingale were commissioned by North Westminster Community School
to provide a new music room. The practice was already familiar with
the school's 1960s buildings, and its first suggestion was to use
the old oil storage tank building (the school heating had been converted
to gas some years previously). The grimy brick box is one of the
first parts of the school you see from the road, and Cullum and
Nightingale thought that by raising the roof to install clerestorey
windows it could be converted quite cheaply.
'But the school caretaker was reluctant
to give up his storage space, so the architect
suggested building another floor on top instead.
'The headmaster, Michael Marland, was keen
to extend the school, and was excited by the
possibilites that independent architects can
now offer under local management of schools.
So when the quantity surveyor estimated the cost
at £45,000, and the building committee
would not meet again for several months, he gave
the go-ahead. That was in June, and the building
was to be complete for the start of term, 8 September.
'Planning permission was received on 20
September (although the architect had verbal
agreement before starting on site). The licence
only lasts three years, mainly because this modest
building will form a focal point between the
twin towers proposed for the Paddington basin.
The teaching space is in fact screwed together
so that it could be taken down and erected elsewhere
if required.
'The architect also consulted the district
surveyor at an early stage, and a builder. Both
were sympathetic, even though only 1:100 plans
and a schedule of works were available.
'The construction is straightforward and
efficient. The existing concrete and timber roofs
(timber above the store end of the tank housing),
at different levels, were retained. A new suspended
timber floor is built on top, and a new series
of 45x221mm timber frames rest on the existing
250mm cavity brick walls below. The frames are
braced by the wall panels and roof sheeting,
and also a light steel truss fixed to the roof
timbers. The structural calculations were not
done until after the timber had been ordered,
and the timber frames, whose centres had increased
to save cost and accommodate the Plannja roofing
sizes (it was already ordered because of its
six-week lead-in time) proved too light. The
elegant stained timber 'strakes' on the roof
timbers are the result.
'Despite the speed of the project the architect
still made a model to assess the lighting of
the room, and included a large rooflight over
what became the stage (not a requirement, but
a natural outcome of the differing existing roof
levels), and a small window to light the steps
up to the stage. Double glazing is used throughout.
'The exterior plywood panels are marine
plywood, stained and with the endgrain epoxy
sealed. This was specified after discussions
with both Trada and architect Alsop and Lyall.
The panels are screwed on (most are not immediately
accessible, but security screws were used) and
the contractor took it upon himslef to match
the grain in the panels. The standard of workmanship
is high - the black mastic joints could have
looked very different.
'After five weeks on site the building
was just completed on time (the stair arrived
on the last day) but if money becomes available
there is a canopy to follow. At present there
is minimal protection over the door provided
quite adequately by a sill section installed
upside down, set at an angle to allow water to
run into the drip and off at each end.
'The old brickwork below is to be repointed
and then soot-washed - it is in fact red.'
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