Queen Elizabeth Hall >
Queen Elizabeth Hall is a new three-storey boarding house at Shrewsbury School which accommodates 57 boarders alongside study spaces and communal and staff areas. It has been created to offer an informal environment where the girls can relax away from their studies. The design includes a combination of Arts and Crafts inspired steep pitched roofs and dormers and the windows are arranged in a chequerboard formation.
LOCATION: SHREWSBURY, SHROPSHIRE
ARCHITECT: ADRIAN JAMES ARCHITECTS
PROJECT VALUE: CONFIDENTIAL
DATE: 2021-2023
The Challenge
The design includes a combination of Arts and Crafts inspired steep pitched roofs and dormers and the windows are arranged in a chequerboard formation. At first glance, the chequerboard pattern of windows may appear structurally unfeasible, as the alternating floor openings meet, leaving no direct path for the vertical load to transfer down to the ground.
The SOLID Approach
Inside the building, the bedroom partitions are lightweight, allowing for future flexibility in room configurations. This also enables the walls to be offset from one floor to the next, meaning they can be positioned to align with the windows rather than the other way around. The frequent window spacing ensures that all rooms receive natural light, regardless of the layout. To achieve this internal flexibility, the building uses a steel frame.
The challenge posed by the chequerboard fenestration is how to incorporate vertical columns in the external walls. The solution lies in the precast surrounds and central mullions for each glazed opening. These elements are wide enough to accommodate steel columns, which run vertically behind both the edges and the centrelines of the chequerboard panels, maintaining the pattern while ensuring the building's structural integrity.
