Spanish School in London

The school is housed in a former convent in a densely developed urban district. The large playground with its stock of old trees forms a unique open space in the area. A roof was to be erected over part of the playground for sporting purposes and to provide protection during bad weather. The structure echoes the trees amid which it is set. The roof construction consists of trussed timber girders with purpose-made cast-aluminium connecting nodes. The trusses are fixed to steel columns with cast-steel head elements that also incorporate a system for tensioning the structure. A translucent fabric covering is stretched between the girders. Over the girders themselves are strips of clear sheet polycarbonate.