2008 AWARDS
Awards - Education
Elder and Cannon Architects
Niddrie Mills + St Francis Primary Schools, Edinburgh
The new Niddrie Mills and St Francis Primary Schools project combines two schools with a nursery on a joint campus as part of a major regeneration of Craigmillar.
A simple programme arranges the schools on either side of a shared entrance, with classrooms arranged around wide circulation spaces, effectively eliminating corridors, and which operate as wet areas for all pupils. Dining and sports halls are shared, and form links between both wings.
The Panel congratulate the architects in creating a wonderfully light environment for a relatively deep plan building, with easy visual connections to the outside spaces. The project is clearly articulated and crispy detailed and is a worthy addition to the Elder + Cannon portfolio of ground breaking educational buildings.
