It’s an exciting moment at Houlton Primary School, with the first spaces now open and being enjoyed by its very first Reception pupils. While work continues across the wider primary block, the school is already starting to feel like the place it was designed to be — full of colour, activity and young voices.
With the scaffolding coming down, the clay-tiled façade is finally getting its moment, complementing the existing brickwork of the secondary buildings. The primary buildings have a distinct architectural language for younger children, with pitched roofs that enable optimum CLT detailing and clay tiles providing a lower-carbon alternative to brickwork. The palette remains connected to the wider campus, helping the new and existing buildings read as one coherent school.
Inside, colour is beginning to bring the spaces to life. Painted metalwork on the stairs picks up reds and blues from the secondary buildings, while coloured lino and vinyl flooring add warmth and personality. The hall’s warm red takes its cue from the original terracotta tiles of the Power Hall, while a broader palette throughout the primary buildings brings an extra sense of joy to the spaces.
