“In our workplace design, BVN believes that a vertical connection is a way for employers in large organisations to facilitate better engagement among their staff and the same principle applies here.” Phillip Rossington

predominates, providing a robust yet light framework into which a number of different settings are effectively accommodated.

All of these spaces, including enclosed and open learning areas, seminar rooms and science laboratories, are positioned around a central atrium. Not only does this generous internal void act as a lightwell, it functions as an anchor that works to visually connect all four levels plus a basement. “In our workplace design, BVN believes that a vertical connection is a way for employers in large organisations to facilitate better engagement among their staff and the same principle applies here,” says Rossington. The atrium certainly does draw the eye up, as does the scheme’s sharp angles and clean lines, in particular the balustrades’ fine, pared back metalwork. Open, straight timber stairs also reinforce both the interior’s verticality and strong sense of connectivity, ensuring a logical circulation that encourages spontaneous interaction.

It’s a plan developed to increase visibility and introduce a transparency necessary within all educational institutions. The small, glazed meeting rooms that cantilever into the void perfectly articulate this need for openness, with their minimally furnished interiors essentially on show for all to see. However, Rossington and the team have tempered the potential fish bowl effect by blocking out the entry-side wall, so those inside the rooms aren’t disturbed by anyone walking past. And if students require more privacy, they can utilise one of the study pods that feel all the more immersive and intimate because of their yellow or grey upholstered walls.

As Rossington notes, “The key expression uniting BVN’s contemporary workplace and tertiary education designs with this project is variety, because we want all end users to be able to reach a level of comfort where they can achieve their best work.” Indeed, different settings offer a degree of visual stimulation that keeps the learning process exciting. And having a range of study spaces to choose from supports current learner-centric pedagogies that permit students to take control of their own learning experience. It nurtures independent and critical thinking, both of which are highly valued at a tertiary education level and in the workplace.

The collaborative areas that house these small study pods are especially pertinent to the overall design in providing the flexibility needed to future-proof the building. These zones are reconfigurable and as teaching models become less and less didactic, partitions can be removed to accommodate this. The kitchen facilities for both students and staff are already shared across each floor, transforming these areas into small hubs of social activity, with a view to strengthening relationships.

While the MLC Senior School very much looks to the future, the project is firmly embedded in its site too. A walkway links the building to other structures on campus, while two new outdoor areas ensure the interior receives an abundance of north-facing light. Rossington and the team have also explicitly acknowledged the past by positioning a two-storey feature window so that it takes in views of one of the school’s heritage buildings. Such sensitivity to context highlights the scheme’s potency, adding yet another level of sophistication to the design, which ultimately respects the students as young adults, giving them a positive taste of what lies beyond graduation.