BBC Middle School Precinct

The Middle School Precinct exemplifies 21st century classroom design, learning practices and pedagogies.

The building has been designed around three main principles - community, flexibility and sustainability. This building development finalises the three school campuses (junior, middle and senior) and provides a cohesive link between these through a central college heart. Importantly, these developments overlay 21st educational practices and tools, flexible design principles and an integrated pastoral care model, resulting in a K-12 educational facility without equal. The Middle School is the progeny of a master plan that attended to three frameworks. Place, community and learning. Whereas most master plans are concerned with the physical environment, the BBC master plan explored cultural, pastoral and pedagogical frameworks as well. The challenge for many schools as they implement more sophisticated pastoral care systems is that existing spaces limit appropriate implementation. The initial impression is that these spaces look different. The first major change is that there is significantly more glass to let in more natural light as well as more visual transparency from both the corridors and between classes. Teaching can be a solitary profession; the innovative design uses transparent walls to break down the barriers between classrooms and open up a more collaborative way of teaching. This strategy opens up lines of vision and sound between the classes to make teachers and students feel connected to a broader learning landscape.