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Arts & Learning Centre, London |
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L'Ouverture Arts & Learning Centre, London |
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The children and young adults taught by L'Ouverture have generally not responded favourably to school environments. Here was an opportunity to create a teaching environment that was more akin to the adult world and thereby develop an enjoyment of the learning process.
L'Ouverture is an Education Trust set up to teach children and young adults performing & visual arts and IT/media skills through practical workshops. The 400sqm post-war boiler-making workshop opposite the Millennium Dome provides a base incorporating teaching, administration, performance and storage. All the accommodation is located in one half of the building leaving the remainder an open performance space. The form and arrangement of the elements are derived from, or allude to, the act of performance; the façade of the office 'block' forms a backdrop to the space, a series of angled planes recalling stage flats, which are perforated for acoustic performance. An open frame to the performance space, another backdrop can be transformed with banners and screens. A stair in the foyer, like a pulpit, is a setting for oration. A gantry provides access to the upper levels – one end projecting into the foyer and the other into the performance space – the archetypal 'Romeo & Juliet' balcony. Recent material technologies have been applied. Whilst not in themselves revolutionary they offer simple and sustainable progressions from more commonly used materials. Large spans are achieved using timber-engineering products in place of steel. Partition walls are built from a wood pulp board product, which replaces the majority of the gypsum, as are the veneer-faced plywood panels which are also produced from wood pulp. The use of water-based paints and low energy lighting round off the approach. |
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