An artist’s impression of the new development. Image, Haptic

Haptic has secured planning permission from Wokingham Council for the construction of a new accommodation building for a private boarding school.

The co-educational housing block for Reddam House school in Wokingham, Berkshire, will accommodate up to 100 students.

And it forms part of a two-phase development, which also involves refurbishing an existing accommodation building and creating a new residential courtyard.

The school’s 50-hectare woodland site includes a Victorian mansion house designed by Robert Kerr as well as a Jacobean-style Grade II-listed school house.

Architect, Haptic, took inspiration from these buildings, designing the façade of the new boarding house to ‘reflect the rhythm of the fenestration’ of this historic architecture, while the material palette references ‘the red brick, stone and wood found across the estate’.

The building will contain 48 ensuite twin rooms as well as staff housing and internal and external amenity space.

The site plan has been designed around several protected trees, with a 22m-tall atlas cedar tree forming the ‘focal point’ on the western façade.

The scheme also considers biodiversity and sustainability, planting 173 new trees to replace 14 that will be removed.

It is aiming for a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ sustainability rating and will create a ‘low-carbon structure’ and ‘high-performance façade’ using a ‘low carbon first’ approach to material selection.

An existing housing block, Drake House, was deemed too outdated to accommodate future growth in its current state. It will continue to house students during the construction of the new building and will then be remodelled as part of the second phase of development.