Photograph: Ian Lawson Photography

Queen Margaret’s School has grown by accretion over the years. The campus had become a mixture of the finest architecture mixed with adhoc extensions and temporary buildings. The architects of the Centenary Development have grasped the opportunity to provide a new focus for the school and re-establish a benchmark of quality building design for the institution.

The development comprises a theatre, chapel and ancillary elements, including a dance studio and exhibition space, located to provide a new hub for the school. The egg shaped form of the theatre reinforces the centripetal impact of the development and establishes a dialogue with the original house, which was refaced and enlarged by John Carr in 1770, taking the eye away from some of the less appealing earlier building extensions.

The design is practical and efficient in its use of space, providing workable, flexible spaces for day to day use and an ambience appropriate to the great occasions of the academic calendar. The detailing inside and out is accomplished and achieves a warm friendly atmosphere combined with a feeling of quality and permanence. The Centenary Development is a well-conceived integration of new with old thoughtfully responding to a sensitive setting.