We were asked by the school governors to look at creating a gallery in their main hall to provide extra desk space for staff - in particular the head teacher who was working from a cupboard! The biggest problem we faced was the extremely limited headroom.

There was barely room to accommodate the gallery so the depth of the structure was critical. The solution we developed was to create built in desk and storage space to the front and back of the galley which acted as a lattice truss and avoided the need for any additional structure.

This approach also meant that the connection to the listed building was minimal - a series of stainless steel bolts and this overcame the concerns of the conservation officer. The gallery was designed as a series of timber sections, all bolted together, which could be manufactured off site in a joinery workshop. This meant we were able to complete the work on site during the school holidays with no disruption to the childrens use of their hall.