St. Peter's School, constructed in 1816, was the first Welsh school to be built by an ironmaster to educate the children of his workforce. Despite its Grade II* listing, the building fell into dereliction. Following Blaenavon's designation as a World Heritage Site in 2001, the practice was commissioned to transform the school into a £2.7m resource centre. This required a complete refurbishment and reordering of the buildings.
Extensive restoration work was undertaken, but the main challenge of the brief was to unify the upper and lower schools into one coherent space without compromising their character. A glazed extension was incorporated between them. The picturesque cross-wing elevation of the lower school was retained internally, and particular care was taken to preserve the original fabric. The building was sensitively integrated into the existing landscape using grass covered roofs. The centre was the only Welsh recipient of a 2008 RIBA Award and was praised by the jury for its “creative, pragmatic joinery details and excellent construction” and “the evident, close involvement of the client”.