Meriden Senior School, Design and Creative Arts Building

Meriden Senior School’s new Design and Creative Arts (DaCA) Building will be an inspiring place where students learn and expand their creative and imaginative skills in bespoke contemporary learning spaces.

The building’s sculptural form and the use of tactile, natural materials, resonate within the leafy context of the school campus. The design also responds to the building function by reflecting on the process of design and creativity. The building façade, for instance, references the artistic practices of ceramics, sculpture and metallurgy through its geometry, form and materials. It reveals the potential of beautiful design to craft our environment and inspire those who engage with it.

The building is designed for students. Architectus has drawn on passive design principles to create flexible and collaborative learning environments for all types of learners through large format spaces.

Located on a school campus that is limited in its ability to expand and grow, the building overcomes spatial constraints through a continuous, protected edge around its perimeter. This connects indoor learning with the outdoor landscape, expands the learning space, and improves student health and wellness by drawing natural light and nature into the building.

The DaCA building is the first stage of Meriden Senior School’s master plan that Architectus prepared in 2021.