Plans have been submitted to Hertfordshire County Council seeking consent to add a high-performance flat roofing system onto a Grade II listed1950’s system-built school and sensitively adapt the original edge gutter to effectively collect water.

Working closely with the School Governor responsible for the building, our heritage consultant and roofing specialist Langley, Black developed a design that retains the strong horizontal eaves line created by the original pre-cast concrete gutter and pushes the new tapered insulation back to the main building thermal line. Details published in the Architects’ Journal in 1952 provided a valuable source of information into the original concept and how the this could be respected.

The 8’3” module was developed by Hills in response to the 1944 Wood Committee Report on Schools Construction, with concrete panels set in a regular steel grid. The upgrade works highlight the continued flexibility of the building 70 years on.