West Calder High School

With a form inspired by the agricultural and industrial heritage of the area, the unique design of West Calder High School supports our client’s aspiration for a high quality, inter-connected modern school building that is genuinely stimulating for all those who use it. Its interesting roof-scape echoes the angular forms of the nearby 5 Sisters Shale Bings, and the property includes a wide variety of inviting spaces of varying scale and character awash with natural light.

NORR’s educational architecture design team worked with an efficient footprint that is sustainable, allowing us to build additional accommodation and remain well below the relevant Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) area guidance. The building takes a dynamic angular form over a deep, naturally lit plan grouped around a central performance space. Split-level sections provide a rich series of interconnected learning spaces. The design features open plan or multi-purpose spaces, complete with technology to facilitate the school’s “Inspired Learning” model. The state-of-the-art design was driven by our design team’s deeply collaborative relationship with school and community stakeholders, ensuring the space fits the growing needs of West Calder’s community for years to come. When opening the new building, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he “had not seen a better school anywhere else in the world.”