Pavilion for The Prebendal School
With the planning application now validated we can finally reveal our design for the brand new & relocated sports pavilion for The Prebendal School in Chichester.
The original 1960’s wooden pavilion was lost to fire last year much to great sadness from the teachers, pupils & parents. It was also a huge loss to Whyke football club whose weekend patronage meant they also lost their branded kit & all their equipment for the clubs junior teams.
It’s taken many months & hours of consultation (with the Head & Governors, the loss adjusters, insurers, teachers & pupils) to create a design that not only answers the current demands of the school and outside clubs using the space now but also looking to the future & Chichester’s wider community of users.
We might think of school pavilions for just cricket and afternoon tea but this new building needed to deliver a space that would facilitate many of the uses we know the school & local clubs would benefit from. It needed a warm and large space to be able to change kit, an area to create food, a place to shield from the weather & an adaptable new multi function space with cleverly designed storage.
The new pavilion is larger with a nod to its heritage with the use of charred external cladding. We wanted it to be modern with its beautiful glazing yet with a soft sympathetic profile for its location on the school’s playing fields, so we used locally sourced chestnut shakes (tiles) for the roof.
We all know these are challenging times but good things are still possible. The fire was devastating but we hope this new building is a little ray of sunshine.