Waterbeach Sustainable School
‘Waterbeach Barracks provides an unequalled opportunity to create a truly sustainable development for living and working.”
The brief was for a new primary school within the Waterbeach Barracks development, to the north of Cambridge. The site is nestled within an established wooded landscape on the edge of The Fens, and the new development aims to foster ‘outdoor living underpinned with a modern, sustainable and well-connected community’. This first phase will set the standard for the future of the entire community.


The site is defined to the north-west of the Waterbeach site adjacent to the A10 and new northern gateway connection. The school proposed on the site will form one of the first buildings within the KS1 development.
The site is surrounded by a network of pedestrian and cycle-friendly routes which connect new areas of housing through established woodlands to the site and beyond.
Various requirements have been established in the masterplan and its design code, including the provision of a new civic square to the north and the limitation of vehicular access to the south. A new sloped bund is proposed to the western boundary of the site to form an acoustic barrier between the school and the A10.
The school site sits between two areas of woodland at the northern end of the masterplan, shielded from the main road by a raised grassy bund. Our proposal works with – and celebrates – these constraints, to create a unique site-responsive school campus.


Inspired by a silver birch forest, the design proposes a covered external circulation route between pavilion building blocks with a random vertical structure. The walkway benefits from being in nature , open air and with views of the surrounding landscape and simply connecting the accommodation together.


The facade forms a strong edge to the civic square and the eastern cycleway, as required by the U+C Design Code and regulatory plan. The staggered elevations form pockets around the school buildings and offer opportunities for tree planting, soft landscape and greater levels of privacy to learning spaces.

A wide stepped area connects the playground to the walkways above the roof of the nursery building. This has a dual function - a stair, but also a place to sit. A raised platform opposite acts as an outdoor stage, used for informal performances or external lessons. The raised grass bund allows children to safely circulate around the site, providing opportunities for activity and exploration within the grounds.

The introduction of trees and wildflowers provide habitat and biodiversity whilst offering opportunities for teachers to grow these environments with their pupils.
We have mirrored the client’s emphasis on creating a ‘truly sustainable’ development for users and community, not just an ‘eco’ badge. The proposal takes a low-maintenance, fabric-first approach, with the intention to achieve Passivhaus status. We envision a reduced-carbon construction with at least 80% on-site renewable generation. Buildings are compact and efficient with high thermal performance, good ventilation and optimised daylighting. In other words, a holistic side-wide attitude to sustainability.


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Client
Urban & Civic
Cambridgeshire County Council -
Location
Cambridgeshire -
Budget
Private -
Design Team
Kier
Smith & Wallwork
Max Fordham
The Landscape Partnership -
Team
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Images
CDC Studio
Haze Visualisations
Urban & Civic
The Landscape Partnership