London Academy, Edgware

London Academy is located on the playing fields of the former Edgware School, which it replaced, in the London Borough of Barnet. Specialising in Business, Enterprise and Information and Communications Technology (ICT), the Academy caters for 1425 students and has been a catalyst for the regeneration of the surrounding community. The design responds to the educational brief, with the students organised into two home-bases, one for the lower three years and one for the upper three. This provides the benefit of two small schools within a larger school environment.

The academy is structured around a top-lit three-storey atrium, which acts as a circulation spine to connect the upper and lower school and the common facilities, such as the theatre, library and restaurant areas. Circulation is concentrated around the open areas, which lets daylight into the main heart of the building. The specialist areas are located along the north side of the atrium, while the home-bases are located on the southern side. Each level of the three-storey home-bases accommodates one year-group with its own social area and staff facilities, minimising movement, enhancing security, and creating a sense of community. Staff areas are vertically stacked ‘rooms,’ which overlook the communal atrium and home-bases.

Indoor sports facilities are located in a separate block and the academy is linked to the outdoor sports facilities by a pedestrian bridge, which allows safe access across a busy carriageway. In addition, a separate Special Educational Needs facility not only provides Speech and Language Therapy to the students within the curriculum, but also the wider community.



Client: DfES and Barnet City Acadamy
Consultants: Buro Happold, Davis Langdon, Buro Happold