Harmeny Education Trust

Nomination
Silver Award

Images

Category

Client of the Year - Architecture

Company

Loader Monteith
Studio SJM Architects

Summary

Loader Monteith with Studio SJM have completed a new vocational learning centre for the Harmeny Education Trust on the Scottish charity’s 35-acre woodland estate in Balerno. The Harmeny Learning Hub provides a safe and uplifting learning environment for students with complex additional support needs due to early years trauma and adversity.

Their curated and holistic approach to education helps children to discover the joy of learning and leading fulfilling lives. At the core of Harmeny’s ethos lies their commitment to personalised learning, where education is tailored to individual needs. Their skilled and experienced staff offer high-quality teaching and learning opportunities. Set within a wooded environment provides a rich outdoor learning resource, fostering physical and emotional wellbeing, confidence, environmental awareness and lifelong skills.

Transitioning to and from Harmeny is carefully facilitated to ensure continuity and support. Their ongoing care and learning services extend support to young people until the age of 18. Harmeny is also known for their ongoing contact and maintaining relationships beyond their time at the school. Their care and dedication to their students sets them apart.

Reason for nomination

We nominate Harmeny Education Trust as the Client of the Year because young people’s needs are at the heart of everything they do. In 2018, to meet the growing needs of their children, Harmeny Education Trust launched a fundraising appeal to build new secondary and outdoor learning facilities and expand their services to young people over the age of 14. Where previously the charity has cared for, educated and provided therapeutic support for children up to 14 years of age, the new centre expands Harmeny Education Trusts’ capacity to support students aged 14-18 through a new hands-on technology, arts and design curriculum and also support more disadvantaged young people from the wider community. The activities provided by the Learning Hub will instil lifelong, practical career skills the students can build on to achieve meaningful employment in future. Following an intense period of fundraising for Harmeny’s ‘Learning for Life Appeal’, the £2.47m learning centre broke ground in November 2022, and completed in November 2023.

Links

https://loadermonteith.co.uk/

https://studiosjm.co.uk/

Photographer

Jim Stephenson