It is an experimental high school for 1,200 students in the Brixton residential area of south London. The building organizes the surrounding space, emphasizing with its dynamic and clearly readable form and zigzag plan the direction of the two highways on which it opens, and its open, transparent appearance should seem attractive to students.
The school specializes in mathematics and sports, therefore the complex includes a variety of sports facilities: there are several open stadiums, in the building itself there is a gym and a ballet studio, and a jogging track runs throughout the territory, including the space under the building - a kind of arch formed by an opening at the level first floor.
Evelyn Grace Academy was funded by the Absolute Return for Kids (Ark), although government funded. According to the management of the foundation, children study better in small schools, therefore the building of the Academy unites 4 independent schools, each of which has its own set of premises. At the same time, inside and outside the school, a number of common spaces are arranged, the solution of which facilitates communication between students.
The budget for the construction with a total area of 10,000 m2 is 38 million pounds.
In addition to Zaha Hadid, the Ark Foundation has commissioned prominent architects such as Ian Ritchie, Amanda Leavith and dRMM to build their schools (Richie and Leavith schools have already opened; dRMM is due to be completed in 2012).
