Dalry Primary School
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The new Dalry Primary School in North Ayrshire is the latest manifestation of the Primary Space project, to develop new concepts in school building design, which has now been running for nine years. The new school opened in August this year. |
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From the start, the design of the school has been a collaborative work between artists Bruce McLean and Will McLean and North Ayrshire Council’s Educational and Technical Services departments.
The outcome is a school like no other. Embodying the concept of ‘Imbedded Intelligence’ throughout its construction the school is divided into three main zones:
- a community area that includes a full-sized games hall and facilities, refectory, kitchens and administration;
- a central spine that houses meeting rooms and the extraordinary inflatable ICT suite, looking as though a spaceship has crashed into the building, and the environmental house on top of the building, as well as changing rooms and toilets;
- on the other side of this is the area housing all the class bases. Each one contains a unique feature integral to its structure. This area also contains the conical library that spirals up through the roof.
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The rich variety of artworks is visible throughout the school, from the enormous steel mesh tree sculpture growing up the outside of the building to the subtle additions of information in the stairwells. |
A full list of artworks and a history of the project can be seen on the Primary Space website. The artists group ‘Fiveplustwo’ will be taking over the school for a week in November to run a programme of participation events called Measure by Measure, that allows children and teachers to explore their new environment.
| There will be an all-day symposium held at the school, on Thursday 29 November 2007, looking at the context for school building in Scotland, and where Bruce and Will McLean will talk about their involvement in the school. For more information on this, please go to the Primary Space website. |
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This project was made possible with the help of an award of £165,829 from the Scottish Arts Council National Lottery Fund. Scottish Arts Council National Lottery Fund has contributed to the funding throughout the project’s history, and the project has been managed by Linda Mallett for Ginkgo Projects. |