Harmeny Learning Hub – ADC

Loader Monteith, working in collaboration with Studio SJM, has completed the Harmeny Learning Hub, a 500-square-metre vocational education centre designed for Harmeny Education Trust. Set within a 35-acre woodland estate southwest of Edinburgh, the new building provides a safe and uplifting environment for young people with complex additional support needs, while embedding itself seamlessly within its sensitive natural setting.

The brief was to create a space that could expand Harmeny’s provision for students aged 14–18, supporting their transition into adulthood with practical, hands-on learning. The building replaces a temporary outdoor learning structure and accommodates a range of facilities, including a wood workshop, an art studio, a bike repair workshop, and a secondary classroom. These spaces are complemented by flexible outdoor areas, all carefully designed to foster creativity, independence, and confidence in students with early-years trauma.

Employing an L-shaped plan, the centre sits lightly within a dense copse of mature trees, arranged to preserve the surrounding landscape and create a calming enclave for students and staff. The single-storey building makes use of a timber frame and is clad in timber, too – in particular larch timber that will naturally weather over time, helping the building to blend further into its wooded surroundings. Muted grey bricks provide a robust base, while grey paving extends around the building to form a cloistered walkway, reinforcing the sense of connection between indoor and outdoor spaces.

A focus on wellbeing is evident in the spatial arrangement, with each classroom opening directly onto tree-lined outdoor areas. High-level windows and glazed sections bring soft, natural light into the studios, creating a soothing visual connection to the outdoors.

Inside, classrooms have been designed to mirror real-world creative and vocational environments, helping students develop skills that will support them in future employment. Studio SJM’s neutral palette and pastel tones ensure that the spaces feel calm and engaging without being overstimulating, while warm artificial lighting complements the daylight coming in.

Costing £3.1 million to construct, the building uses high levels of insulation, alongside solar panels, ground-source heat pumps, and a mechanical ventilation heat recovery system to aid excellent energy efficiency. The centre’s position within the woodland required careful navigation of tree preservation orders, with three trees being relocated during construction.

“Harmeny provides an exceptional level of care and support to its students, who we hope will thrive in this new learning environment that is focused on their learning requirements, their backgrounds, and their future development,” said Matt Loader, director at Loader Monteith. “Placing wellbeing at the forefront of education design is the key to unlocking learning environments that serve their students well, prioritising and providing for their social and emotional needs so they can have the best education possible.”

“The new Learning Hub is a thoughtful and highly functional addition to the campus at Harmeny,” added Mandy Shiel, head of education at Harmeny Education Trust. “Our students will benefit hugely from spaces tailored to their specific learning and support needs.Through the Learning Hub young people who have had some of the most difficult starts in life now have the continued care and learning that they need to unlock their potential and thrive. We’re delighted to have worked with Loader Monteith and Studio SJM to help young people to rebuild their lives and reshape their futures.”