Gordon Murray and Alan Dunlop, working in conjunction with City Design Cooperative and Buro Happold, have released their concept proposals for Dumbreck, a new school for children aged from 4 to 18, with severe visual, mobility and sensory impairment.

The school commission was won in competition and is for Glasgow City Council. It will be the first school building of it's type in Europe and follows an intense briefing period, involving all the design team and visits to schools in the UK . The proposals include new streets and squares, visual and auditory cues, naturally lit galleries arranged around existing trees, north facing class rooms, teaching and learning spaces and gardens for recreation, fun and relaxation. The building has been specifically designed so that the kids can wander in safety, increasing their sense of independence without putting them at risk.

gm+ad are now working to refine the proposals with a view to submitting for full planning permission by the end of September 2004. It is intended that the building will be complete and occupied by 50 pupils and their teachers and carers by the start of the new term in 2006.