Leith Primary School

Location

Edinburgh

Main contractor

Ashwood Scotland Ltd

Products

Corium Brick Cladding

Argeton Terracotta Cladding

Concept

The Leith Primary School project consists of a £2.2m gymnasium and nursery extension for client The City of Edinburgh Council. The project involved a partial demolition of an existing property, which has been renovated and utilised to better purpose by the primary school who had been lacking gym space and a permanent nursery facility.

The project site had challenging health and safety, environmental and logistical considerations as it was a historical property which required careful planning and execution of construction. The new facilities were required as a matter of urgency, since the school had been struggling to find a new space for over a year.

The project is a part renovation of the Duncan Place Resource Centre (DPRC), a community owned, multi-purpose space which was built in the 1920’s. The historic building was initially earmarked for demolition amid safety concerns over its structure. However, any attempt to demolish the entire hall would have been outright rejected as the DPRC was built over a century ago and is a category C-listed property. It was instead agreed that only the rear part of the centre would be demolished after The City of Edinburgh Council education committee gave the go ahead, to be replaced with a new gym and nursery for Leith Primary School. This came as great news for the school who had been struggling with limited gym space and a temporary nursery unit for over 12 months. The remaining site was then refurbished and made safe.

Taylor Maxwell supplied the project with Argeton terracotta cladding, alongside the Corium brick cladding system, which is manufactured by Wienerberger.

Completion

Argeton terracotta cladding has the aesthetic impact of a timeless facade, paired with the character of a natural terracotta rainscreen system. The combination of proven strength and durability, backed by CWCT testing, and the beauty of a natural clay material, makes the terracotta rainscreen a popular choice amongst architects and clients. The terracotta cladding system is available in a range of different colours and tile types, each with grooves of varying frequency and depth.

For the Leith Primary School project, three different types of terracotta tiles were selected (Tampa, Terzo and Lineo) in a uniform, pale grey colour. The consistency of the colour, in contrast to the varying tile types, creates a contemporary and innovative building facade.

Corium brick cladding, which is manufactured by Wienerberger, was also selected for this project, as it offers architects and contractors increased advantages in terms of design options, cost-efficiency and fast-tracked installation. A red-multi brick tile was specified for the Leith Primary School project in order to blend in with the existing local vernacular and contrast nicely with the light grey terracotta tiles.