Kingsdale School in South London recently received over £12m to refurbish their ageing campus.

The buildings, originally constructed in the 1950s, were in an advanced state of disrepair and this was reflected in the attitude of the pupils towards the school with high truancy rates and poor examination results.

The school was selected as part of the DFES (Department for Education and Skills) Schools for the Future programme, and School Work demonstration sites programmes, in order to assess the impact of environment on student behaviour. De Rijke Marsh Morgan were appointed as Architects and Consultants for the refurbishment works.

The major change was the addition of a new roof over the central courtyard space; turning what was once described as a 'battlefield', into a unique, multidisciplinary space with a theatre pod, cafeteria and flying walkways incorporated into the students' social space.

The roof structure consists of a Texlon Variable Skin ETFE cladding system printed with a unique pattern that appears to pixelate as you walk beneath it. The effect is very subtle and does not cause adverse effects.

The primary structure supporting the Texlon system is reflective of the lightweight nature of the roof. Super-slender arched steel elements are braced by cable elements that reduce the total weight of the system to minimal levels.