The Falcons Preparatory School

rpa:vision worked together with rpa:architecture to complete the conversion of a former 19th Century Victorian fire station and horse drawn tram sheds, into The Falcons Preparatory School for Boys in Richmond, South West London.

The project, with a construction value of £2.8m, saw the transformation of the previous site, operating as an art college, into a smart new Independent school, which opened its doors to pupils in September 2008.

The significant restoration was sensitive to the former use of the site, using authentic replacement materials to retain the character of the site alongside modern techniques of construction. The school was constructed with careful use of design to maximise light and space, whilst also taking into consideration the special features of the building, both aesthetically and technically.

The adopted design called for a totally acoustically sealed building with full air conditioning. The design problems were then further exacerbated by the schools location directly under a main flight path to London Heathrow. It was also felt the air conditioning was both cost and environmentally prohibitive.

Following extensive sound and thermal surveys, it was concluded that a naturally ventilated solution could be achieved by modifying the acoustic qualities of a 'passivent' stack and scope system. This delivered substantially cheaper installation, with minimal running costs and a more energy efficient and environmentally friendly solution.