We were invited by an infants school in Surrey to provide ideas exploring the feasibility of providing a low cost/high impact design concept for totally reconfiguring the main entrance to the school, extending the existing staffroom and to provide additional offices for the teaching and administrative staff.

In order to reduce costs, we proposed a lightweight insulated timber framed extension sitting on a simple raft foundation. This would allow the opportunity to clad the exterior with Cedar (or similar) timber boards, some of which could be stained with different contrasting shades with the addition of some coloured strips as well.

The existing entrance is dark, claustrophobic and awkwardly planned with no real sense of entry or space for a parents waiting area.

The main aims of our proposal were to provide a more welcoming and vibrant entrance to the school, bring in more natural light via skylights, reorganise the entrance areas to provide a proper waiting area for parents and visitors and to provide two additional staff offices.

There are no expensive build items here – all areas are designed with keeping down costs in mind. The extension comprises about 65m² (700ft²) plus about 80m² (860ft²) of existing area requiring refurbishment/alteration works adding up to a total of 145m² (1,560ft²).