Deptford Green School scoops award for best UK educational building

A NEW Cross school’s £32m new site has scooped an award for the best educational building in the UK.

Deptford Green School was awarded the Best Education Building at the Local Authority Building Control’s (LABC) National Building Excellence Awards.

The secondary school, which unveiled its new site in Edward Street last September, has extensive sports facilities, a radio station, and two outdoor classrooms on the school’s roof for its 1,300 pupils.

Speaking of Deptford Green School, LABC Chief Executive Paul Everall said: "As well as providing a sound learning environment, the buildings are energy-efficient and provide natural ventilation and light, exceeding the sustainability targets set out at the start of the project.

He added that challenges the project team had faced included bringing the students together on a single site, including sustainable technologies and making the buildings accessible for disabled people.

The school received a multimillion pound cash injection under the Building Schools for the Future programme and was designed by Watkins Grey International LLP and built by Costain.

Revised footbridge designs for Greenwich Reach/Deptford Creek

New designs for the proposed swing bridge over the mouth of Deptford Creek have been submitted to Greenwich planners, and the design documents are on the planning website. Don't be fooled by the visualisations, however, they are the same as the ones that were posted with the (first revision)  application earlier this year. 

The pictures I've posted here are taken from the new detailed design planning statement. Galliard Homes - the developer of the New Capital Quay which has to provide the swing bridge as part of its section 106 commitment (although as I explained in my last post, got agreement for some extra floors on top of its existing buildings to 'pay' for the bridge) has now commissioned some proper bridge designers - Flint & Neill - to examine the proposal and ensure it is workable. Despite the fact that it's a small structure, a certain level of experience is required to properly design a cable-stayed swing span bridge. 

The revised design is a lot less flashy but according to those in the know, looks like it might actually work from a structural point of view. The mast height has been lowered, the arrangement of the counterweight has been changed and various details of the design have been adjusted to reduce the amount of future maintenance required. Reading the planning details, it sounds like the initial proposal was, shall we say, unworkable?

One glaring omission from the documents so far is any firm commitment on operation - an issue which is particularly thorny for the Creek's boat dwellers and those who use it for goods deliveries such as Priors.

Deptford docks join Venice on 'must save' list

Deptford Dockyard has been put on a list of threatened heritage sites alongside world-renowned places including Venice and the Inca ruins in Peru.The site is one of 67 landmarks deemed at risk by the World Monuments Fund, whose report this year highlights the “rich heritage” of the 16th-century dockyard and nearby Sayes Court Garden, and calls for a redevelopment of the area to be carried out “sensitively”. Developer Hutchison Whampoa plans to build 3,500 high-value homes under its £1 billion Convoys Wharf scheme. But Deptford heritage campaigners, although pleased that the WMF has  recognised the site, are fighting to make developers include more historic  features.

Julian Kingston, 61, director of  the Build the Lenox campaign to get the go-ahead to construct a replica 17th-century warship as part of the development, said it was “amazing news”. He told the Standard: “This is real recognition that we should not be living in the shadow of Greenwich — Deptford is more historic if anything. Four hundred warships have been  built in the dockyard; it is steeped in history.”

Mr Kingston, who lives on a boat in Deptford Creek, added: “It is shameful how Deptford has been treated historically and culturally. We are not against the development but are worried that it doesn’t include anything which marks the rich history of the place.”

He added: “We are not Luddites. We totally accept you can’t have a 40-acre site sitting unused in London — it is absurd, but equally we feel 3,500 luxury units planted on a site of such historical importance and adjacent to one of the most challenged areas of London is completely wrong.”

The developers, whose scheme also includes parks and restaurants, say they have offered a site for the Lenox  shipbuilding project but Mr Kingston insists it is not suitable.

A Hutchison Whampoa spokesman said: “HW and their team have fully evaluated the site’s rich history and the 2013 masterplan has allowed the history and heritage of the site to inform the layouts of spaces and buildings.”

(source: Evening Standards)

Depftord Film Club

Launched in September 2009, Deptford Film Club brings the most interesting, challenging, heart-breaking cinema into where you want to be: a nice friendly room above the pub. No pretensions, no passwords. Just great movies at an affordable price, and in good company.

Venue: 

Amersham Arms

388 New Cross Road

London SE14 6TY

020 8469 1499

Website: http://www.deptfordfilmclub.org

St Paul's Church In Deptford

St. Paul's is the Parish Church that serves Deptford Market. It has activities and ministries with people of all ages, including those who are marginalised & vulnerable, and people of other faiths and none. Part of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark, the church follows a liberal catholic tradition. Situated towards Evelyn Street at the north-eastern end of Deptford High Street, the building is a remarkable and important example of English Italianate Baroque, it is dramatically preserved in its spacious and landscaped churchyard which extends between Deptford High Street & Deptford Church Street, along the length of Diamond Way. 

The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England has referred to the church building as one of London's finest Baroque buildings. Services daily (excluding Monday). "... there is a pearl in the heart of Deptford ..." attr. John Betjeman, Poet Laureate 1967-1984 "... everyone should visit St.Paul's Church in Deptford before they die ..." Richard Morrison - The Times, November 2004

Deptford Lounge and Tidemill Academy

In the multi-award-winning Deptford Lounge you can borrow a book, use a computer, play sport, learn a new skill, meet with like-minded people, organise community activities, access council services, have a coffee and a cake and lots more. 

The Lounge is part of a development that also includes a state-of-the-art primary school, occupied by Tidemill Academy, with which the community shares space and facilities, plus Resolution Studios, consisting of 38 affordable apartments with nine studios for local businesses and an exhibition space. 

Deptford Lounge presents a dramatic backdrop to Giffin Square through the use of a gold-coloured perforated copper skin, a translucent envelope which literally wraps together the many co-located facilities.

Tidemill Academy, in contrast, has an intimate cloistered feel, with large oak-framed sliding doors and cladding enclosing the courtyard playspace. Classrooms wrap around a large courtyard garden, and school facilities shared with the community, including a rooftop sports pitch, are located within the adjacent Deptford Lounge building. 

The complex has been designed with separate access points from Deptford Lounge and the school. This enables the school to have sole use of the shared facilities during the school day, while out of school hours the shared facilities form an integral part of the Deptford Lounge and are open to the whole community.

Resolution Studios

These are situated along the north side of the Deptford Lounge/Tidemill School complex, facing onto Resolution Way – and includes 38 affordable 1 and 2 bed homes, nine artist work studios and an art gallery. The homes are being managed by London & Quadrant Group, while the gallery and studios are being managed by local art group TemporaryContemporary. All of the artist studios were let prior to Resolution Studios’ official opening in June 2012.

Deptford X - Contemporary Art Festival

Deptford X exists to promote the best contemporary visual art and celebrate that art with the widest possible audience. It is an arts event born of Deptford’s creative community and based on a belief in the limitless potential of the area.

Deptford X is London’s longest running contemporary visual arts festival and has been experienced by over one million people since inception in 1998.

The festival brings together some of the greatest artists from around the globe to Deptford, south-east London and mixes them with some of the most creative talent living in the area.

Deptford X has now been running for a number of years and we strive to help the artists we support gain further exposure within the creative community. 

Website: http://www.deptfordx.org

Laban Dance Centre in Deptford

Laban's Deptford location may seem far-flung, but the spacious south-east London spot allowed the venue to call itself the largest purpose-built contemporary dance centre in the world when its new building opened in 2002. Designed by Herzog and de Meuron, the Swiss architects behind Tate Modern, Laban's stunning architecture reflects the challenging contemporary dance the institution advocates. As well as academic courses (BAs and the like), the centre presents an ongoing line-up of experimental, arty shows by its students, as well as visiting companies, in its 350-seat theatre.