Alleyn’s All StudiOs

Envoplan

A second chapter, sharper brief

Alleyn’s has long been synonymous with Dulwich. Its move into North London—taking up residence at Regent’s Park on the former North Bridge House School site, as part of the Cognita group—presented a thrilling brief: don’t replicate the original All Studios; improve it. Make it clearer, tougher and more adaptable for a curriculum that blends human intelligence with digital fluency. That ambition sits at the heart of AiQ, Alleyn’s human-centred framework that champions voice, collaboration and immersion. Our role at Make Bespoke Studio was to translate a brilliant concept into everyday, hard-working reality by creating bespoke metalwork that could carry the weight of making, performing and presenting, day in, day out.

Design partnership with Envoplan

Envoplan’s design team led the concept development with the school, mapping the journey through Voice, Co-lab and Immersion so the space reads as a sequence rather than a scatter of kit. We joined the project early enough to help turn intent into detail, isolating the metal packages—frames, mesh, mounts, locking and access—while working hand-in-hand with the chosen joinery company so the birch-faced ply and steel feel like one system. Drawings were shared, tolerances agreed, and cable routes confirmed, before a single cut line hit the steel.

Material language and palette

Colour, mesh and birch, purposefully

Colour does a lot of work in the space. We finished the frames in RAL 6038 Luminous Green and RAL 4005 Blue Lilac—two tones that do more than decorate. The green energises movement and making; the lilac calms focus and presentation. Mesh panels keep sightlines open and lend a subtle exhibition quality, without losing definition. Birch-faced ply softens the touchpoints, bringing warmth to desktops and access panels, and the floor follows function: cork for acoustic calm where voices matter, vinyl where wheeled kit and messier making are a fact of life. It’s a palette that is cheerful without being childish; serious about work without being severe.

Relics that spark ideas

Learning through treasured objects

At the centre of the room are cabinets of curiosities, curated not as a museum, but as a live syllabus. Cameras and lenses sit alongside drones; Game Boys and joysticks share space with robots and Rubik’s Cubes. Nearby, early PCs such as the Commodore 64 and Apple home computers show their bones, while a 3D printer hums through live demos. The huge presentation screen (a Hisense HAIO138, 138” LED All-in-one Display) anchors critique and exhibition modes, so switching between activities is quick and legible. Students can trace interfaces, ergonomics and material choices across decades, then apply those insights when they move from Voice to Co-lab to Immersion.

How we built it

Cutting, welding, meshwork

Turning concept into craft began, as it always does, in the workshop. From Envoplan’s design intent we produced fabrication drawings and set out a disciplined path through cutting, welding, finishing and assembly. Sections were CNC-cut and mitre-sawn for accuracy; mesh was sheared and formed to sit flat, and every edge was deburred so the touch reads clean and safe. We jigged the frames on a flat bed to hold them true, MIG-welded the primary structure and switched to TIG where the seam would be on show. Heat input was balanced, particularly on long uprights and door leaves where distortion can creep in. Welds were linished, then we dry-assembled hinges, locks and the screen-mount hardware to prove reveals before sending anything to finish.

Powder coat and assembly

Because this is a classroom, serviceability matters as much as strength. Mesh sits in concealed channels with mechanical fixings so panels can be removed for maintenance without harming the finish. Lockable doors and shelves use captive inserts to protect threads over years of use. Slotted uprights and universal brackets give teachers freedom to move screens and artefacts without remaking the casework. When the fabrications came off the bench, they moved through a multi-stage pre-treatment—degrease, rinse, dry-off—before electrostatic powder application in Luminous Green and Blue Lilac. Oven curing set a tough, even coat that shrugs off scuffs and wipes clean easily: exactly what you want in a busy studio. Back from finishing, we refitted hardware, tuned door reveals and made room for the birch elements using movement-tolerant brackets.

Delivery, coordination, choreography

Programme, changes, and teamwork

The programme was tight: three weeks of manufacture to meet a September 2025 opening. Layouts evolved as the client team fine-tuned the pedagogy; AV specifications landed live. We sequenced deliveries to protect finished parts, kept re-drill plates and swap-out brackets on hand for last-minute changes, and worked around parallel trades in a compact window. Envoplan’s site team brought the extra muscle needed to manoeuvre heavier structures into the classroom safely and cleanly. It was one of those rare fit-outs where everyone rows in the same direction and the choreography shows in the result.

Outcomes that actually matter

What does all this make possible? For pupils, a playful, legible studio where making, performing and presenting feel intuitive, and where technology enhances the lesson rather than stealing the show. For teachers, secure storage, tidy cabling and fast reconfiguration as modes shift through the day. For the estate team, a durable, maintainable kit-of-parts that can be repaired, re-powder-coated and upgraded over time. The choices carry a light sustainability touch too: renewable cork where it counts, targeted use of vinyl where performance is essential, and steel and birch components designed for disassembly so parts can be swapped rather than scrapped.

Recognition, and what follows

Whilst the All Studios at Dulwich was shortlisted for the Education Property Awards’ School Project of the Year 2025, what matters more is that this space works—every hour, every term—and that it can flex as AiQ evolves. Our bespoke metalwork in London shows at its best: precision where it counts, colour with purpose, and a generosity of detail that makes daily life easier for the people who use it.

Alleyn’s Regent’s Park is, in many ways, a second chapter. The school’s Dulwich heritage brings academic rigour; Cognita brings global perspective; Envoplan’s team brings design clarity; and our workshop brings the craft and pragmatism to make it all hold together. The brief said “improve on what came before.” The result is a studio that does exactly that—clearer, tougher, kinder on the eye, and ready for the next idea.