Architects eye next phase of City of London revamp

A competition has been launched to design the next three phases of the historic City of London School鈥檚 expansion plan.

Architectural practices have been invited to design the second, third and fourth parts of a masterplan for the boy鈥檚 school, located on the northern bank of the Thames opposite the Tate Modern and adjacent to the Millennium Bridge.

City of London School shutterstock

Source: Shutterstock

View of the school towards St Paul鈥檚 Cathedral from the Millennium Bridge

The school, where annual fess top 拢18,000 and whose former pupils include Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe and writer Kingsley Amis, said the competition will be an opportunity to 鈥渋ntroduce innovative and sustainable architectural solutions鈥 to the highly constrained campus, which currently has a road bridge running through it.

Up to seven practices will be shortlisted for the second stage of the two-stage competition and each given an honorarium of 拢1,000, with the winning team awarded a contract estimated to be valued at 拢630,000.

The second phase will consist of a new courtyard building to the west of the school鈥檚 playground.

The third phase will be a one-storey extension to the fifth floor of the junior school building to provide three new labs, a technicians鈥 break room, space for storage, trolleys, additional WCs, and space for computers or a project lab.

The fourth phase will involve opening the school鈥檚 circulation spaces to 鈥渢ransform the way the school feels鈥.

The 拢2.2m first phase to rejig a pair of squash courts and a fencing hall was awarded last year to Tim Ronalds Architects 鈥 which also drew up the wider masterplan.

The 900-place school, which was founded by an act of parliament in 1834, was originally located on Milk Street in the heart of the City before moving to a palatial Victorian building on the Victoria Embankment in 1883. It moved to its current post-modern premises, designed by former student Thomas Meddings, in 1986.