Consortium of Local Authorities Special Programme

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The Consortium of Local Authorities Special Programme (abbreviated and more commonly referred to as CLASP), was formed in England in 1957 to combine the resources of Local Authorities with the purpose of developing a prefabricated school building programme. Initially developed by Charles Herbert Aslin, the county architect for Hertfordshire, the system was used as a model for several other counties, most notably Nottinghamshire.

The system utilised prefabricated light gauge steel frames which could be built economically up to a maximum of 4 storeys. The frames were finished in a variety of claddings and their modular nature could be employed to produce architecturally satisfying buildings. Initially developed solely for schools, the system was also used to provide offices and housing.

Important architectural examples include Hunstanton School by Alison and Peter Smithson and many of the Hertfordshire schools, some of which have since been listed.

A later development was known as SCOLA (Second Consortium of Local Authorities) and MACE (Metropolitan Architectural Consortium for Education).

A notable use of CLASP is the University of York, designed by architect Andrew Derbyshire.

The cynics' definition of the CLASP acronym, circulating in the 1970s, was "collection of loosely assembled steel parts".

Langwith College, University of York. A notable use of the CLASP system.

Vanbrugh College, University of York. A notable use of the CLASP system.

[edit] Railway Stations

Stretching between the 1950s and 1970s, the CLASP system was implemented by British Rail for the functional simplification of facilities at railway stations. Many stations, particularly in the South East, had their original station buildings replaced by pre-fabricated concrete structures. List of CLASP stations