A Case Study of Friends’ Pavilion, Lisburn

Posted 3 weeks ago

20/01/2025

This article is featured in Volume 33, Issue 6 of Perspective magazine, to purchase a copy click here

“I leave and bequeath to my loving Friends Thomas Greer, John Christy, and my loving kinsmen Robert Bradshaw, and John Hill, one thousand pounds sterling, in trust…to purchase lands…to establish a School within the present bounds of Lisburn Meeting for the education of the youth of the people.” John Hancock

This magnanimous bequest of £1000 came from the prosperous linen merchant, John Hancock for the purchase of land to build a school for the children of Quakers in or close to Lisburn (the Quakers being at the forefront of the linen industry at the time). Twenty acres at Prospect Hill were thus acquired from the Earl of Hertford for this purpose. Founded by the Religious Society of Friends, The Ulster Provincial School, as Friends’ School was originally known, was quite remarkable for its time in that it provided an education for both boys and girls, a concept which encapsulates the Quaker value of equality which has remained central to the school’s ethos to this day. From its humble beginnings as a school for 35 children, Friends’ is now a thriving school, providing for over 1000 pupils from across the community in Lisburn and beyond.

This year marks the 250^th anniversary of the school’s foundation and, in honour of this momentous occasion, Friends’ School embarked on two significant Legacy Projects. With a fundraising target of £250,000, the projects were intended to both enhance their magnificent school grounds and to promote the physical and mental wellbeing of the pupils. One of these, the Legacy Trail, provides a one-mile trail around the perimeter of the 20-acre site, offering opportunities for activities, relaxation and moments of quiet reflection. The other significant project was for the design of a new outdoor pavilion to provide a performance and external teaching space.

Award winning practice Studio idir, established by the former Friends’ scholar, Aisling Rusk, was commissioned in June 2023 to undertake the design of this new pavilion. The brief was to provide a venue for recreation and al fresco learning, as well as a unique space for pupils to highlight their musical and creative talents. Working closely with the enlightened head teacher, staff and pupils, Studio idir Invested in a collaborative approach, conducting workshops with music and arts pupils to draw from their inspirations and holding a competition for technology students to design an element of the perforations within the actual structure.

I met with the Project Architect, Katie Stringer at the school on a crisp, autumnal morning. On approach through the mature trees adjacent to the school’s main entrance, it was immediately evident that the design of the new performance space has embraced the brief, with the new pavilion already nestling harmoniously within its mature woodland setting. As a result, the Corten canopy and the iroko-clad columns blend seamlessly amongst the beautiful, natural colour palette of the seasonal trees.

Katie explained that the concept for the pavilion, which arose from the workshops with the pupils, has deep rooted foundations in the Quaker religion, its ethos, core values and symbolism. The canopy design, with its folded, origami-esque formation of sharply folded, sculptural Corten steel, represents a considered deconstruction of the 8-pointed Quaker Star, a symbol of Quaker Service since the late 19th century. This tessellated roof structure, with its distinctive, weatherproof and minimal maintenance finish, provides a dramatic, undulating form.

The six, angled, iroko-clad piers which support this canopy express the ‘leaning and folding together of community.’ Inspired by the pupils’ ideas, these piers provide a reference to the six Quaker values that are the core foundation of the religion: simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and stewardship of the earth.

Alongside the pavilion sits a small, Corten and concrete based bench, with a folded Corten signpost to the left (neatly concealing the electrics). All three elements harmoniously complement one another. LED strips to the underside of the main canopy and additional lights to the base of the columns provide an ethereal, magical quality to the pavilion in low light as it glows ceremoniously amongst the trees.

The decorative concrete Exposa ground finish provides a robust, non-slip finish which is both practical and aesthetically pleasing, particularly when the new planting around the pavilion has had the chance to mature. A clever yet understated feature is the disposal of rainwater from the roof structure. To avoid torrents of rain drenching pupils from the angled points of the canopy, the inclined folds of the roof have been carefully considered so that water drains to the rear of the structure where a simple additional fold allows it to disperse discreetly into the planting.

The subtle perforations within the enveloping Corten include the competition winning paperchain-like cutout people motif, together with 250 delicate stars representing the school’s years.

The pavilion was designed and completed within a tight 14-month programme in close collaboration with the contractor and metalworkers Fabrite who commenced fabrication in April 2024 and delivered to site the following month. The Legacy Pavilion was unveiled at the beginning of the new autumn term with a well-attended school community performance from the pupils.

There is a thoughtful, understated and elegant simplicity to this sculptural pavilion structure which certainly provides a more than fitting tribute to the school’s forward thinking legacy ambitions and the Architects’ vision. There was mention of a planned performance for Christmas which I can only imagine will be a real treat to attend. Ultimately, this small intervention in the school grounds has already had a major impact on the school and its pupils and hopefully will continue to do so for many years to come – certainly a commendable legacy.

Kari Simpson