As featured in The Architects’ Journal, BD Online, Dezeen and FX Design Magazine, our client Bowmer + Kirkland, working in collaboration with Jestico + Whiles, have submitted plans for the comprehensive conservation and refurbishment of Smithdon High School – the groundbreaking modernist masterpiece on the Norfolk coast designed by Alison and Peter Smithson.

The project will sensitively restore and upgrade the Grade II* listed building to ensure its continued use as a school for future generations, resolving long-standing fabric issues while improving comfort, accessibility and energy performance.

Working on behalf of Department for Education, main contractor Bowmer + Kirkland are collaborating with a specialist team including Jestico + Whiles, Purcell, Arup and DPP Planning to deliver a major programme of fabric renewal, energy upgrades and careful restoration. The design retains the building’s striking steel and glass structure, introduces high-performance glazing, reinstates original spatial clarity, and integrates all-electric heating and a large photovoltaic array to achieve net zero carbon operation.

A landmark in 20th-century architecture, the renewal of Smithdon High School represents a bold and sustainable future for one of Britain’s most significant post-war buildings.