Located in Cape Town, Parklands College is one of the leading independent schools South Africa. The school commissioned us to expand its campus to include a new innovation centre, in pursuit of its vision to be a leader in 21st century education practices, preparing learners for the challenges of life not only academically but also emotionally, socially, morally and physically. Our brief was to develop an exemplary school building that responds to and accommodates current and emerging best practice in teaching and learning. The development needed to respond to, reinforce and extend the existing collegiate campus structure and to create an iconic image for the school.
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The centre comprises a series of adaptable rooms arranged around a central hub and a double-volume glazed atrium, wrapped in a perforated aluminium screen, with courtyards on either side. To meet this vision of the school’s future, we created a series of teaching venues to suit different learning methods. Three large collaboration rooms accommodate up to 90 learners. These can also be adapted to become two or three smaller learning spaces. Two large workshop-style rooms were designed to accommodate activities like robotics and an innovation lab for building and crafting. A large indoor recreational area can be used for informal gathering and self-study. This also includes an AV room for immersive digital experiences. Eleven general classrooms and a series of break-away spaces were also included.
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Conceptually, the building was envisioned as two solid rectilinear wings separated by courtyards; The three large single-storey collaboration rooms were placed alongside the existing school quad with break-away rooms lining the northern flanks. The general classrooms and two specialist workshops comprise a longer wing which bends north, providing a distinctive, striking backdrop to the playing fields.
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The two wings are simultaneously split and bound together by a large, steel-and-glass double-volume recreational atrium aptly named Grand Central. This forms the nucleus of the building. The atrium serves as a central movement hub and is also used for activities such as informal gatherings, impromptu performances, self-study and immersive digital experiences.
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Overall, the architectural design is contemporary and elegantly simple. It makes a distinct departure from the existing style of the campus buildings, yet remains sympathetic to the overall, orthogonal planning. The building form was strongly influenced by the need to optimise spatial relationships while adhering to the basic tenets of good environmental design - particularly internal environmental comfort.

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Dave Southwood - Photographer