Structure and site description
The Cardboard Building at Westborough Primary School is a detached activity space constructed of cardboard and recycled building products, making it Europe’s first permanent cardboard structure.
The Cardboard Builing - the south elevation has a zig-zag shape reflected in the roof © Peter Grant Photography
Designed by architects Cottrell & Vermeulen and completed in 2001, the building is a permanent educational and community space and an excellent example of sustainable school design.
Cardboard panels and tubes are the two basic building components. The tubes are used as structural columns and the walls and roof are made from load bearing and insulating timber edged cardboard panels.
The cardboard building is located at one of the two school entrances and set in a beautifully planted area of the school grounds. The space has one main multipurpose area with additional facilities such as a kitchenette, toilets and a playground storage space.
Accommodating up to 800 young people aged 3 to 11, the building is a stimulating play space, a focal point for learning and a base for parents and teachers as part of out of school hour’s provision.
Young people and the school community were involved in the design process and the build. This included collecting recycled cardboard, working with the architects on the development of the activity space and taking part in local and national media coverage of the project.
Architectural style
Building constructed using sustainable materials.
Quirky facts
- Origami instructions to make a heron (a local species) were drawn and screen printed onto the wall panels by Turner prize-winning artist Simon Patterson.
- In the summer of 2001 there was a freak flash flood which left the building standing in inches of water and with a permanent tidemark.
- Pieces of barcodes and drink cartons are visible on cupboard doors.
- It is Europe’s first cardboard building which attracted world-wide interest in furthering the knowledge and potential of cardboard as a building material.
- The Cardboard Building is the first project to win two RIBA special awards – the Stephen Lawrence Prize sponsored by the Marco Goldschmied Foundation and The RIBA Journal Sustainability Award in 2002.
The Cardboard Building - origami instructions screen printed on the walls © Peter Grant Photography
Building highlights
- detached activity space constructed of sustainable materials
- the cardboard building is set in landscaped and well maintained school grounds
- the building project lasted two years, one for research and development, six months for prototypes and six months for construction
- the activity space has excellent thermal and acoustic performance
- the building is designed to have a life expectancy of 20 years.
Using the cardboard building as a teaching resource
The cardboard building is an example of sustainable construction. As an exemplar building it can be used to promote an understanding of:
- the methods and principles of sustainable design construction
- teaching and learning about sustainable development
- the way school grounds can be enhanced and developed as part of Building Schools for the Future (BSF) or the Primary Capital Programme (PCP).
Suggested activities
Art and design
Working in small groups, design and draw a cardboard structure for use by the local community. The structure can be designed to stand alone or be part of a community building, such as a hospital, school or library.
Geography
Look online at pictures of the cardboard building (see websites below). Imagine you have been asked to design sustainable features for an activity space for young people. What would these be and how would they support the use of your imagined space?
Science
How can school grounds be maintained and developed to encourage biodiversity? Make a list of the main interventions needed to promote biodiversity in the grounds of a school or a small open space.
Region
South East
Location
Westborough Primary School and Nursery
Macdonald Avenue
Westcliffe-on-Sea
Essex SSO 9BS
Accessibility
The cardboard building is accessible by appointment only for external visitors. Contact the school direct, 01702 349249.
Further information
Cardboard Building case study on the CABE website
Cottrell and Vermeulen architecture website
(click the box and then select “folding”)
BBC article on the Cardboard Building
Great photos of the Cardboard Building on the Buro Happold website (structural engineer and project leader for the Cardboard Building)
Teacher’s TV – cardboard school room, 15 minute video
RIBA awards – The Cardboard Building
Related topics
Construction
Sustainability
Building design
School grounds
