The transformation of an Arts and Craft school building into a Learning Commons, a hybrid space for learning, working, meeting and performing.

Roedean is a renowned independent girls school near Brighton, a Grade II listed campus in the South Downs National Park overlooking the English Channel. We were appointed by a new head aiming to both improve the school's academic results and re-establish a love of reading amongst the school community. We transformed the neo-classical Keswick Hall to create a new learning commons with common room, study rooms and kitchen. A new timber mezzanine, lined with laser-cut douglas fir, created a diverse range of places for sixth formers to sit, read, work, meet and gather.

The new sixth form learning commons was popular with pupils and staff and contributed to an increase in sixth form applications. Building on this success the school commissioned us to develop the main library, the heart of the school.

The spatial grandeur of Sir John Simpson's Arts and Crafts hall is combined with the informal hum of a contemporary bookshop to create a new learning commons for the whole school community. A full height 'wall of books' accessed by a new mezzanine and stairs enhances the drama of the room and frees up the main floor for more flexible uses. The 12,000 books are enriched through the integration of the school's archives, including rare books and historic objects. A new print facility creates a digital hub and a selection of analogue and digital tools are provided to enhance learning.

The learning commons gained planning permission and listed building consent from the South Downs National Park in 2019.