Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt is proud to announce the completion of the Art and Design Engineering Centre at Charterhouse School in Godalming, Surrey – which had its official opening this summer. The new facility marks a significant milestone in the school’s ongoing campus transformation, supporting its transition to co-education and enhancing its provision of high-quality, future-focused education.
The completed scheme includes a state-of-the-art extension and the full refurbishment of the existing Art, Design and Technology buildings. A striking new glazed link now unites the three structures, creating a central hub featuring a shared entrance, dedicated gallery spaces, and a landscaped external courtyard.
The Art and Design Engineering Centre delivers on Charterhouse’s ambition to create a collaborative, innovative and inclusive environment where Art, Design and Technology intersect. Designed to be net zero carbon in use, the project integrates passive environmental strategies and renewable technologies to ensure long-term sustainability. Careful orientation maximizes natural light, while a high-performance envelope and natural ventilation systems significantly reduce energy demand. Ground source heat pumps and rooftop photovoltaics provide clean energy, managed through sophisticated building controls to optimise performance.
The existing studio building, designed by James Dartford in 1957, has been carefully reconfigured and upgraded to meet contemporary standards while preserving its architectural significance. The design carefully negotiates the transition between the campus’s Gothic architecture and the modernist forms of the 1957 studio building, using a contemporary interpretation of traditional materials. The new extension’s façade — a refined screen of vertical clay profiled tiles — references the historic clay tile banding found on the heritage building roofs across the campus, harmonising old and new in a visually compelling way.
The design supports a wide range of learning styles and activities, from collaborative studio work and specialist workshops to informal seminars and student exhibitions. The shared fabrication lab exemplifies this flexibility, bringing together traditional craftsmanship and digital innovation in a space where departments naturally overlap and ideas cross-pollinate.
Circulation spaces have been reimagined as additional gallery areas, giving students greater opportunity to showcase their creative output. At the heart of the centre is a versatile courtyard designed for reflection, social interaction, outdoor learning, and seasonal events. It reinforces the project’s mission to serve both the individual and the community.
By creating spaces that encourage collaboration, creativity, and flexibility, the building helps realise Charterhouse’s ambition for a high-quality, cross-departmental, and future-focused campus. The design successfully balances the need to respect heritage with the imperative to provide innovative, sustainable spaces that will serve the school community for generations to come.