Pimlico School
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The Brutalist design was controversial throughout its existence
Comprehensive school for 1,725 boys and girls
The main element of the school runs nearly the full length of the rectangular site dividing it longitudinally into two open spaces. The subsidiary element is a single storey workshop block on the north side.
A concourse runs the length of the school at street level (first floor level in the school). Circulation from the two upper floors, including the sixth form and the floor below, feeds into this concourse and is scaled to the traffic using it.
Two large gymnasia and a large covered indoor swimming pool compensate for the lack of play space. The school library is placed centrally and a large hall is provided for drama, music and to allow two year groups, around 600 pupils, to meet together. Social space is in the form of houserooms..
In-situ reinforced concrete using a lightweight aggregate was used for the bulk of the structure, with lightweight concrete blocks used for non-load bearing partitions.
The demolition of the school in 2008 made way for the new Pimlico Academy, with the final stage completed in the summer of 2010.
Data
- Completed: 1970
- Floor area: 12,553m2
- Sector: Education
- Total cost: £957,905
- Address: Pimlico Academy, Lupus Street, London, SW1V 3AT, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: Greater London Council Department of Architecture and Civic Design
- Project architect: John Bancroft
- Client: Inner London Education Authority
- Quantity surveyor: M.F. Rice
- Structural engineer: E. W. Bunn
- Structural engineer: Norman and Dawbarn
- Heating engineer and contractor: Zisman Bowyer & Partners
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