Lytchett Minster School

Set within an historic eighteenth-century parkland and incorporating a neo-classical, Grade ll-listed former manor house, Lytchett Minster School is a 1350-pupil school and a recognised arts college.

In 2002, Dorset County Council commissioned cube_design to develop a masterplan for the redevelopment and expansion of the school. This masterplan was informed by research into the history of the site and an evaluation of the designed landscape and buildings within the estate. This ensured that any new development respected its historic environment, whilst providing a set of constraints within which future development could be accommodated. English Heritage, the South-West Regional Design Panel and the local planning authority were consulted throughout this process. To harmonise with the informal picturesque parkland, it was considered that a collegiate campus approach to the disposition of buildings was appropriate for future development and that wherever possible, the historic nature and integrity of the site should be retained.

In 2005, with a budget of £10.5M, the first phase of the masterplan to be implemented was a refurbishment of the manor house to provide a social hub for students and the provision of two new buildings - a dining hall, library and sixth form building as an adjunct to the manor house and a separate maths, science and humanities building. The architectural intent was to create confident, contemporary designs with elegant, crisp lines which responded formally to the landscape and were sympathetic in scale, proportion and colour to the manor house.

To connect the the new buildings with the historic landscape, both buildings offer extensive views and vistas to the surrounding parkland. The restoration of the central garden, framed by the new accommodation, creates the social ‘heart’ space for the school and was fundamental to the design.