Lady Margaret School, London

Lady Margaret School is approaching its centenary and the building in West London houses over 700 girls between the ages of 11-18. The building has been extended over the years but with any educational establishment the entrance is obviously the first impression for pupils, staff and parents. IID architects were engaged to remodel the school frontage which borders Parsons Green and replace it with something not only in keeping with the modern aspirations of the school but which also addresses some of the needs in today's education buildings.

IID architects utilised very modern materials to create a striking feature entrance within the recess formed by the more traditional existing teaching blocks.

The £1m front extension built by M E Construction, replaces a rather poor quality infill element and the new glazed reception incorporates a platform lift for wheelchair users and as in many public accessible buildings today, an element of security controlled access.

The new extension now has a flat roof area which has been fully utilised by the architects with glazed doors leading out to a decked area giving views across the green. The Graphite coloured Terrafina Excel Plain Decking provides a perfectly flat trip free and slip resistant area with no visible fixings, and enough space for casual seating. A very contemporary and flexible area has been created which is both practical and low maintenance which includes access to services and access to the first floor corridor. With its balustrade linking the two adjoining buildings the deck area offers a far more practical and aesthetic solution in preference to a rather dull flat roof and really tops off the stunning extension.