The design of Brighton Grammar School’s new Middle School reinforces the School’s mission, ‘we teach boys’ through providing a robust and iconic facility that supports the School’s targeted approach to the diverse learning needs of boys in years 7 and 8.
Situated to the edge of the most public corner of the site, the new Middle School features a clean, modernist exterior and striking, double height public entry to shape a welcoming interface with the street and to reinforce the School’s civic presence. Transparent sections to the exterior invite the gaze of the local community and promote engagement with the activities of the school.
The 6,060sqm new facility is planned around a central Nexus where the whole student community can come together. The learning environments have been designed as a series of four Learning Neighbourhoods, each accommodating 75 students, connected to and focused upon the Nexus. The pedagogically bespoke learning environments provide a variety of formal and informal learning spaces that are adaptable and agile to support diverse modes of teaching and learning.
Intended as a physical manifestation of the needs and nature of boys, the architectural expression of the Middle School is inherently masculine and modernist. It features wide circulation areas, robust, natural materials, and an abundance of natural light and ventilation. A sophisticated, minimalist approach to the interior design emphasises the physical presence of the architectural form and signals a move away from the childhood years of primary school into the adult world. The openness of the learning environment promotes a sense of community and encourages students to actively engage with their learning.
The new Middle School provides a dynamic new learning facility that nurtures collaboration, celebrates the student’s transition into secondary school and has represents an innovative new direction for Brighton Grammar School.