King’s College Music School wins RIBA National Award

The Music School, King’s College Wimbledon, has been named as a RIBA National Award winner.

The project, which was delivered with engineering solutions provided by chapmanbdsp, has been recognised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

On its website, RIBA said the judges ‘were impressed by the delicate detailing and marquetry of the structure, materials and lighting and services coordination’.

Environmental solutions delivered by chapmanbdsp, which was appointed as MEP and environmental consultant, helped the school exceed its sustainability objectives by maximising energy efficiency and pushing the boundaries of passive design.

As well as promoting daylight and minimising the need for artificial lighting, the scheme, which was led by Hopkins Architects, incorporates natural ventilation into its overall strategy, reducing dependency on cooling.

The building used sustainable materials, notably bricks and wood, throughout with a high-performance façade, minimising solar gain. As well as a ‘mixed-mode’ 200-seater auditorium, most practice rooms constructed using a ‘box-in-box’ method allowing music to be played without negatively affecting other parts of the building or the wider neighbourhood.

Lucy Vereenooghe, Operations Director at chapmanbdsp, said: ‘We are delighted to be part of this beautiful project and it’s great to see it get this recognition. The acoustics, internally and externally, were a challenge but the result is a stunning and sustainable building that the whole project team can be proud of.'

The scheme is one of 54 winning projects selected for a national RIBA prize, which will all now be put forward for the overall Stirling Prize, which is awarded to ‘the best building in the UK’.

Six shortlisted projects will be announced on July 18 before the Stirling Prize winner is revealed on October 8.