Nyland is a new SEND school building located in Swindon, providing 4 classrooms of SEMH accommodation. Studio Lime Architects were appointed in August 2025 to undertake the design of an extension to the existing Nyland School in Swindon. Studio Lime are working alongside a wider design team, with Atkins Realis providing project management and quantity surveyor services, Craddys providing structural design services, and Hulley & Kirkwood providing mechanical and electrical design services.
The plan is cruciform, with a hall located centrally and is the focal point of the building. The teaching blocks are spilt into 2 different wings around the hall and the admin spaces form another wing. The external play areas are naturally separated by the building form and can be directly accessed from the teaching blocks.
The proposed building is single storey and formed of two pitched roof areas with adjoining flat roofs. Pitched roofs are preferred by the client from a maintenance perspective, so these have been prioritised. The teaching wings and hall area are formed of a large l-shaped pitched roof volume.
The reception and admin wing are formed of a linear pitched roof volume and positioned so that the main entrance from the new pedestrian access can feature a large glazed area, creating a clear and inviting entrance point with a well lit main reception area.
Material choices for the proposed building are required to be hard wearingdue to the use of the building. Preliminary material considerations are brick for the exterior face of the building with a standing seam roof finish.
Large expanses of glazing are proposed to connect the teaching spaces to the external play areas. Roof-lights will be used within areas of the plan that require additional natural daylight such as the hall, sensory room and library. Solar panels are also proposed on the south facing roofs to make use of the large expanses of pitched roof.
