This innovative meanwhile use of a former secondary school in Euston leverages the education and employment opportunities of HS2 whilst minimising the impact of a major construction site on surrounding homes. A new Construction Skills Academy caters for 125 students. Located within a demountable structure, the building is designed to facilitate enabling works for the new station infrastructure whilst restricting the transmission of noise and dust to surrounding homes. The former school buildings are repurposed to provide high quality workspace and community facilities, including new allotments and gardens, maximising the social value of this site for the next ten years.
Our meanwhile use of the former Maria Fidelis School site leverages the short-term benefits offered by the adjoining HS2 construction site for maximum long-term community gain.
Repurposing the former school buildings to provide sustainable workspace retains an important local landmark whilst providing new employment opportunities which will bring additional footfall to local shops and cafes. The school hall will be repurposed as a multi-purpose community facility for a diverse range of users. A new entrance pavilion will open the site to the public. The re-greening of 1,130sqm of open space re-uses landscape elements from the adjoining St James’s Gardens within an ecology garden and allotments for local residents and tenants of the co-workspaces.
Designed to optimise the enabling works associated with the infrastructure needed for HS2 whilst restricting noise and dust nuisance to the surrounding properties, a new lightweight and demountable building will house a Construction Skills Academy, offering 1500sqm of workshops, classrooms and careers support facilities. Close links will be maintained between the College and the adjoining station throughout the HS2 build period, with placements prioritised for local students from under-represented groups in the workforce, including older adult learners; the benefits of up-skilling extending far beyond this ten-year project.
