Rugby School get the go-head for new boarding house

The 6m boarding house is part of an eight-year refurbishment plan

Posted by Lucinda Reid | December 03, 2016 | Facilities & buildings

• #rugby-school
• #boarding-house
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• #gssarchitecture

Rugby School has been given the go ahead to build a new, £6m boarding house.

Planning permission was granted this month for the 60 en-suite study bedroom property to be built on the Collingwood Centre site off Barby Road in Rugby.

Designed by GSSArchitecture, the 2465sq m house will feature a double-height atrium at the heart of the building along with large communal rooms, a main dining room and a rooftop terrace.

This will be the first new boarding house to be built since Sheriff House, on the opposite side of the road to the Collingwood, was built in the 1930s.

The new house forms part of an eight-year refurbishment programme of the school’s existing boarding houses enabling pupils to move out while each one is renovated.

Construction work for the new house is expected to start in July next year with building completed in February 2019.

Judy Robinson, Rugby School’s Estates Manager, who headed up the new Modern Languages building and also the Collingwood Centre refurbishment, said she was very excited to be given the green light on this latest improvement project.

“This is the start of a major programme which will enable us to invest in the fabric of all our boarding houses,” Judy said. “This is only achievable if pupils move out of the house to be improved and this new boarding house is the solution. As with all our refurbishments and new builds, we are always looking to create sustainable and environmentally friendly properties and this boarding house will follow these aims.”

Acting as architects and quantity surveyors for Rugby School, David Allsop, Senior Partner at GSSArchitecture, added that he and his team were delighted to win this project through a design competition.

“Working closely with the School, we have developed a concept which delivers a high quality living and learning environment and have obtained planning consent in record time,” David said. “This was achieved with a thorough and proactive working relationship with the local planning authority and Rugby School. Well done to all involved.”

For more information, visit Rugby School’s website.