Whitgift School Centre Quad

Whitgift School is an independent school in Croydon with a complex of buildings largely dating from the 1930s. PRS Architects developed a phased masterplan for the school, with Phase 1 addressing a series of pressing improvements to the campus. We Design For provided MEP strategy and environmental design consultancy across the project.

The centre-piece of Phase 1 is the enclosure of the Biology Quad – a modest courtyard tucked into the heart of the building – to create a new all-weather social and breakout space known as Centre Quad. The brief was simple in ambition but technically demanding in execution: to introduce a covered, usable interior space without disrupting the character of the surrounding 1930s fabric or compromising the building’s environmental performance.

Our environmental design work focused on how the new enclosure would behave as a climatic buffer. By internalising the existing quad, the surrounding building envelope is effectively sheltered from external conditions – reducing heat loss in winter and moderating solar gain in summer. We modelled the thermal and environmental performance of the covered space to ensure the new microclimate would be comfortable year-round without heavy reliance on mechanical systems, and developed the MEP strategy to support the space’s varied uses: social breakout, gallery, assembly, and science observation at upper levels.

The result is a project that delivers measurable environmental benefit to the existing building as well as a new heart for school life – an outcome that reflects the kind of integrated, fabric-first thinking we try to bring to every project.