The Oxford Academy

The Oxford Academy is a secondary school that has been part of the River Learning Trust since 2020. With nearly 1300 students and a commitment to providing a vibrant and dynamic learning environment, the school wanted to provide students with more covered outside spaces to use during their lunch and break times without the usual constraints of weather conditions. They also hoped to reduce the need for staggered lunch breaks and ease traffic in school corridors during peak periods of the day.

Streetspace worked with The Oxford Academy to achieve this by transforming the underutilised courtyard outside the dining hall into a versatile and engaging outdoor space for students to use all year round, providing them with all-day cover that doesn’t compromise on shade or weather protection.

Two 6m x 6m ORION Conic Tensile structures were installed with central support columns providing lots of clear space underneath. The white frames and striking ocean blue canopy membranes were paired to match the colour scheme of The Oxford Academy and compliment the modern building facade of the surrounding building. The distinctive conic tensile structure provides students with a spacious covered area that gives 99% UV ray protection, perfectly diffused natural light and shelter from the rain during inclement weather. The PVC architectural fabric is manufactured with a PVDF self cleaning top-lacquered layer ensuring a highly durable low maintenance surface.

Alongside this, the Streetspace team installed over 440m2 of new surfacing to the area by replacing old paving with a new highly durable resin-bound aggregate flooring in daltex green, which added another pop of colour to the new and updated courtyard.