Gable Hall School – Dining Area

As a forward-thinking, vibrant Academy; Gable Hall School were looking to make better use of a redundant courtyard adjacent to the current eating facilities, providing additional serving and seating arrangements for their 1300 students.

Given the courtyard’s open-space nestled amongst existing buildings, the design brief focused on creating a light, airy space that offered attractive accommodation for students during lunch and breaks.

To facilitate this, a glazed barrel vault roof was constructed over the void using a portal steel frame, allowing high levels of light in to the new dining area. Timber walls featuring powder-coated aluminium sheeting were employed for the external walls where required. Internally, the walls were clad in a PVC sheeting system, in a number of colours.

Throughout the extension, the colours utilised are derived from the Academy’s new branding, helping to develop the brand and create a greater sense of ownership for the area.

To ensure maximum flexibility, throughout the dining hall; feature hardwood bi-folding doors have been installed to enable partitioning as and when required.

The new extension has provided the school with enhanced dining facilities in a very cost-effective manner. As a result of the new dining area, revenues through the school canteen have increased significantly, along with a correlating reduction in the number of students bringing a packed lunch to school.