Smithdon School Including Main Block, Water Tower, Workshops And Kitchens

Smithdon School, which includes the main block, water tower, workshops, and kitchens, is a secondary school built between 1950 and 1954 by architects Alison and Peter Smithson. The structure features a painted steel frame with buff sandlime brick infill and a flat roof. Originally, the windows were made of steel without subframes, but many have since been replaced with timber. The building is two storeys high, with single-storey workshops and kitchens located to the north. It has a compact, almost symmetrical rectangular plan organized around two courtyards, with a central double-height hall that spans the two main sections. The classrooms are fully glazed, with obscured panels below the cill height. The ground floor has lower proportions compared to the upper floor. Additionally, there is a steel-framed water tower with steel tanks situated between the main block and the attached kitchen, along with a brick chimney nearby. This building is significant for its innovative steelwork, designed based on the plastic theory.