An extension at Radley College provided ten new teaching classrooms, additional social accommodation, and has improved the environment of Clocktower Square.

The school needed new teaching space to enable the subjects of history and politics to be taught ‘under one roof’, and a new gallery (The Sewell Gallery) to provide secure display and storage of artwork during and after assessment. It also required a new social space which could be used by college staff to meet parents, and a café for use when the main dining facility is not accessible.

Ridge assisted in the new development which places classrooms in a linear arrangement over two storeys. The lower storey is a brick colonnade, which offers a new covered entrance route, taking pedestrians away from the existing roadside route. The end elevation of the classroom building is deliberately low key to allow space for artwork.

The roofs of the classrooms are deliberately pitched and offer a sculpted space internally to the upper classrooms. They are capped with light and ventilation stacks, which will drive the passive ventilation systems to the 2-storey building.