The building includes 12 new classrooms and a series of external walkways, balconies, terraces and a rooftop observatory, designed for external teaching, informal events, star-watching and astronomy. A large timber stairwell links the new building to an existing study centre and includes a specially designed chandelier, which students can code to represent the solar system and different constellations. The Observatory is Urban Projects Bureau's second building at Graveney School and is part of a wider masterplan for the school campus. It sits at the centre of the school, adjacent to the Grade II-listed, 19th century Furzedown House, the 20th century Red House and the Brutalist school hall by Leonard Manasseh. Using the eclectic mix of surrounding buildings as inspiration, we were keen to create a building that appeared simultaneously lightweight and solid. The massing is a triple-block composition with a tiered roofline. Externally, it provides a new gathering place with an accessible ramp cutting through the building's centre to create a double-storey void.
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