An Aberdeen school that offers uniquely tailored support for children with additional supports needs is seeking an architect to lead a £10 million improvement plan.
Camphill School now has a shortlist of six architects to develop and refurbish two of its three campuses in the city – its Murtle and Camphill estates.
The project, which would take place over the next five to 10 years, would overhaul some of the buildings at the sites that have started to show their age and build new ones to “future-proof” the schools.
Alex Busch, the executive director of Camphill School Aberdeen, said: “This is a major capital investment in the future of our schools and one we are hopefully going to embark upon soon.
“The project is to either replace, refurbish or upgrade buildings such as our day centres, residential houses and workshops.
“Because we are an eco-school, our intention is to make this project as environmentally friendly as possible.
“For example, if we are to demolish any of the existing buildings, we would hope to re-use their construction materials in any new builds, as we want to make sure we keep sustainability in mind.
“We’re well-known for our life-sharing model, where staff live together with residents.
“That is a model that we truly treasure and so, whatever plans are put forward, we really want to make sure any residential units are less like units and feel more like homes.”
Mr Busch said that if all goes as planned, work could commence next year – and fundraising projects to help cover the cost could emerge in the near future.
He added: “We really want the schools and all the residential houses to be completely future-proof, to help modernise Camphill and make the estates more attractive place for people to come and live, study and volunteer.
“There is a lot of insecurity about Brexit and the impacts it could have for us because of the high number of staff and volunteers we have from EU countries, but with this investment we are hoping to improve our outlook.”
