Garden School


A transformative redesign for an outstanding school for 4–16-year-olds with special educational needs in Hackney

We were asked to give a former storage space a much-needed makeover to create a nature-inspired recuperation space for the children who were becoming overwhelmed with noise & activity in the adjacent playground.

Due to the safeguarding issues surrounding plants in the space, the team had to creatively find ways of introducing nature in non-direct ways.

We mimicked nature using natural analogues, such as natural textures, patterns, colours and images in floor and wall coverings.

In addition to the finishings, we introduced some key spatial features which contributed to meeting the children’s diverse sensory needs, these included:

  • Window seats to view the playground from, with a sense of prospect
  • Hexagonal seating niches, with a sense of retreat
  • A “cause and effect” interactive feature to engage children with sounds and textures of nature

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