Capital funding has been secured for work to begin on a new primary school for the village of Edendork, Co Tyrone, designed by Hamilton Architects.
The newbuild school will be situated on a 1.78-hectare site which currently accommodates the now vacant St Malachy’s Parochial Hall.
A new single-storey design will provide 11 classrooms, a multi-purpose dining and sports hall, flexible teaching and staff rooms, resource areas and changing/toilet facilities delivered to the highest sustainable and environmental standards.
The design concept derives from the school’s rural setting, with classrooms in clusters around a centrally-located staff room to form a courtyard which is similar to historical farmyards found in the locality.
A double height contemporary interpretation of the vernacular pitched roof on the multi-purpose hall will create a strong silhouette on the landscape, to echo the presence of the old parochial hall.
The multi-purpose hall and kitchen, also accessed from the main circulation area, will be constructed of brick to contrast the tone of the render of the rest of the building, with the administration block clad in larch and roofed in slate.
The school has been designed to facilitate out of hours activities so the building can develop into a hub for the local community as well as a flexible educational facility for future generations of local children.
Education Minister recently announced capital funding for the new school as part of an £80m injection for new educational buildings across Northern Ireland.