Cottrell and Vermeulen Architecture has combined grey brick with bright-yellow polycarbonate to create a distinctive identity for Bellenden Primary School in Peckham, south London.
The architecture studio designed the primary school and nursery for a site that's enclosed by housing on all sides to be a "beacon" that fits within its south London context.
"Our aim was to make a new local primary school that provided a generous learning environment inside and out and captured the context of Peckham," said Cottrell and Vermeulen Architecture co-founder, Richard Cottrell.

Built on an island site bounded by housing, the architecture studio wrapped the school in a grey brick wall that is punctuated with entrances, windows and portholes. "It's rare to have a school site exposed [to housing] on all sides," explained Cottrell. "This was an opportunity to make a building that responded to all different contexts of the surrounding streets," he continued.
"It glimpses through alleyways from Peckham Rye to long views from surrounding streets. The new school has the potential to be a beacon for the community."

While the school's grey-brick materiality, largely two-storey buildings and pitched roofs are designed to respond to the surrounding Victorian terraces, bright yellow polycarbonate panels on the first floor were added to draw attention to the building.
These yellow panels were combined with red lettering and a single red panel to c...