The Barton Science Centre takes the south-east Award
Tonbridge School has received a highly prestigious RIBA Award, with judges commending its “brilliant” Barton Science Centre.
The state-of-the-art, three-storey building was among the winners in the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) South East Awards, an annual competition which celebrates the very best of architecture in the UK. The winning regional projects will now go on to compete for national awards later in the year.
The Barton Science Centre was originally included in the shortlist for the South East RIBA Regional Awards 2020. Due to Covid restrictions, judging was delayed until recently, with winners being announced in August 2021.
The building was designed by architectural practice BDP and was funded in part by the many hundreds of donors who contributed to the school’s ‘Excellence for All’ campaign over a period of several years.
RIBA judges found that the purpose of the new space, “To inspire a new generation of young scientists,” had been achieved and that the centre “delivered the very best teaching spaces on every level”.
The awards citation stated: “The Barton Science Centre is the most significant development at the school in more than 130 years. This includes the full refurbishment of the original science building, which is dated 1887 and was the first purpose-built science centre in the country.
“Overall, this is a brilliant new science building with a respectful and intelligent approach to the refurbishment of the existing building.”
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