An inspired ‘tree house’ extension transformed Mellor Primary School into a stimulating and uplifting space for children, staff and the local community.

Located on the edge of the Peak District, Mellor Primary School extended its facilities to embrace its woodland setting. The north side of the school was transformed to create a covered timber deck looking out onto the surrounding woodland. The extension now forms a series of indoor and outdoor spaces; a library, an additional classroom, a special education needs (SEN) room, a larger hall, toilets and an outdoor equipment store.

The project has won a number of awards including the 2016 RIBA North West Awards and the Structural Timber Awards, Judge’s Choice and Best Education Project, as well as achieving highly commended in the 2016 Wood Awards. 

Timber is the dominant material used for this project. Chosen for its sustainable, robust properties timber has been used for both the structure and the cladding. All timber used is either reclaimed or FSC / PEFC certified.

The external walls and roofs of the extension are lined with pre-fabricated timber cassettes, insulated with mineral wool insulation and clad with a combination of vertical cedar boards and British Columbian western red cedar shingles. The pitched roofs of the main buildings are also clad this way, with the architects choosing composite GRP (glass reinforced plastic) rooflight panels for the canopy roofs.

European larch glulam portal frames were used to support a lightweight canopy on the timber deck, creating productive, open spaces for students to learn about the environment with the local landscape providing the perfect backdrop. Internal joinery includes FSC certified birch faced plywood.