Michael Faraday School, Walworth

Named after Michael Faraday FRS, an English scientist who contributed to the study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry, the Michael Faraday School is a vibrant establishment in the Heart of Walworth, in the London Borough of Southwark. The school is located in the centre of the Aylesbury Housing Estate, which was originally built between 1963 and 1977. With approximately 7500 residents, it is the largest social housing complex in Europe.

The Aylesbury Estate is currently in phase 2 of a major regeneration programme, a shared vision and commitment by Notting Hill Genesis and Southwark Council that will see 3,500 new homes built as part of a transformation of an important part of the Walworth neighbourhood. Construction began in 2018, with the project scheduled to reach completion in 2036.

As part of the regeneration programme, Southwark Council granted planning permission in 2008 for a new primary school, with the original single storey building, built in the 1970s, considered cramped, inflexible and in need of updating to provide a more positive environment for pupils. Construction was completed in September 2010, and the Michael Faraday School grounds now showcase an award-winning design profile, characterised by a main two-storey building and surrounding playground space with an innovative circular layout. 

With the aim to provide a stylish solution that could enhance the school’s outdoor covered space and tie-in with the modern, innovative aesthetic seen across their school grounds, Streetspace worked alongside the Michael Faraday School to provide a set of 5no. ORION Star Fabric Canopies for the school’s nursery playground and reception area.

The unobtrusive single central post of ORION Star Canopies offers versatile positioning with minimum disruption to on-site layouts. An engaging hyperbolic form and architectural PVC fabric offer opportunities to create imaginative external covered spaces, with the soft membrane fabric offering excellent sound absorption from echo and rainfall, optimal qualities for playground environments.

The 5no. canopies were installed during the Easter holidays in order to achieve minimum disruption to school scheduling, and were positioned to coordinate with the design of the playground and provide plenty of shade for the pupils during break times, offering effective covered seating areas for the school’s youngest pupils.