Skip to content

CDC Studio

Waterbeach Sustainable School

Promoting outdoor learning and encouraging young people into nature; this competion entry forms part of the Waterbeach Barracks development and captures the quality and character of the site, setting the benchmark for future developments.

‘Waterbeach Barracks provides an unequalled opportunity to create a truly sustainable development for living and working.”

– Urban & Civic

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.

Aerial view of Cambridge masterplan
Concept aerial masterplan
urban and civic masterplan for waterbeach barracks | cdc studio architects cambridge

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.

Covered external circulation provides direct open air access, solar shading to classrooms, and views over the surrounding landscape. Soft landscaping creates a seamless connection with nature and opportunities for learning and play.
Rather than considering the school as a single mass, this proposal has been developed to breakdown the accommodation into a series of smaller ‘pavilion’ buildings ringed around a central external space.

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 walkway connect the teaching blocks
The teaching block set within the landscape

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.

Civic edge to the school
We have taken a landscape-led approach: linking surrounding woodland blocks and breaking up the mass of the school, with buildings nestled into amongst the trees. A series of staggered pavilions allow glimpses of trees and sky between buildings.

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.

The hall sits at the main entrance and acts as the main hub of the school – a space for gathering, performance, and community use.
Shared spaces are spread throughout the campus, with each year group having its own centre and identity

  • Client

    Urban & Civic
    Cambridgeshire County Council

  • Location

    Cambridgeshire

  • Budget

    Private

  • Design Team

    Kier
    Smith & Wallwork
    Max Fordham
    The Landscape Partnership

  • Team

  • Images

    CDC Studio
    Haze Visualisations
    Urban & Civic
    The Landscape Partnership