With its glass roof and walls, this six-storey building resembles nothing less than a cutting-edge office block.
But this is a first look inside London’s most futuristic new school, where pupils in glass-walled classrooms will be spared the glare of the sun by an energy-saving array of fins and mesh.
The £80 million Holland Park School building, next to Holland Park, also features unisex lavatories where no main door will be fitted, to deter bullying, a 25-metre underground swimming pool and an open-plan library.
The original building, which housed one of Britain’s first comprehensive schools, was demolished to make way for the new design, which teachers and the 1,350 pupils will move into after half-term next month. Kensington and Chelsea council has funded the building from the sale of school land expected to fetch £105 million.
Headteacher Colin Hall said: “Students will be coming to something a
bit unconventional and a little bit grand. Some don’t come from privileged backgrounds — we want them to have a sense of aspiration and see this building as aspirational.”
