Take a look at Shrewsbury School's £4.4 million boarding house that was completed last year
A new £4.4 million private school boarding house named after the late Queen has been completed.
Shrewsbury School's new Queen Elizabeth Hall accommodation has entered its second academic year of use and is housing a cohort of 70 girls as well as featuring study areas for day pupils, communal areas and staff accommodation.
The building was completed by Adrian James Architects last year. The school decided in 2022 that the new building would be named after Queen Elizabeth honouring "the Queen's extraordinary personal qualities and contribution".
The new house sits on the edge of the private school's campus with panoramic views over the River Severn and towards Shrewsbury town centre.
The building has been designed to make the most of the views featuring a double-height moon gate door on the main internal communal space.
This is situated to the eastern-end of the building that wraps around the centuries-old cedar of Lebanon creating an enclosed private garden for the girls.
The multi-award-winning architect practice states that the front of the house "follows the kinked building line between one of the boys' houses and the adjacent teaching block, Hodgson Hall, completed in 2015".
However, the "architectural language" of the new house is less formal than the teaching building.
Shrewsbury School said: "Shrewsbury School, named Independent School of the year in 2020, went fully co-ed in 2014.
"To meet the demand for places for girls, it became clear we would need a new house for them, so in 2020 we held a limited architectural competition and Adrian James Architects (AJA) emerged the victor.
"Part of the brief was that the new house should feel more like a home than an institution; the entry from AJA achieved this in a way none of the other competition entries managed. It also made the most of the location, using the existing majestic cedar of Lebanon and the extensive views over the Severn valley to their best advantage."
To view a full range of projects and read more about Adrian James Architects, visit adrianjames.com.
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