The innovation Centre at BHS emphasises hands on understanding and use of technology.
If the design goals of the new Innovation Centre at BHS could be summed up in a phrase, it would be, “seeing is believing.”
The purpose-built facility will be the hub from which emanates the school’s STEAM-based (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) curriculum. Construction at the site is now well underway with excavation complete, the ground floor slab poured, and 80% of the steel frame erected. When complete, the two-storey, 14,000-square-foot structure will house an array of modern learning spaces, including a maker space, a leadership centre, computer and science labs, a digital media lab, a resource centre, and breakout rooms for project work and collaboration.
The new building will also connect to the adjacent Butterfield Building, which is being extensively renovated to house music, art, and math areas. “The focus of the design of the structure, and the furnishings within, is to make sure the staff has everything it needs to deliver the STEAM curriculum with its focus on the important soft skills of collaboration, communication, and problem-solving while also developing a hands-on understanding and use of technology that will be key to our students’ futures,” says Catherine Hollingsworth, head of secondary at BHS. One of the key elements of the curriculum and, therefore, the design is that the subjects being taught are not seen as independent of each other but connected. “It is so important that the students can see that learning does not take place in isolation but rather across disciplines, it is what they will see in the workplace,” says Ms. Hollingsworth.
For Linberg & Simmons, the architectural firm for the project, this meant ensuring that the classrooms and learning spaces are linked in meaningful ways. According to Gary Simmons, partner at Linberg & Simmons, one of the ways this goal was achieved was through, “the use of glass and lots of it.”
“School facilities should be designed to accommodate the evolving pedagogy and better prepare students for the changing workplace,” he says. “The design of this building incorporates opens spaces
that encourage participation and cross-discipline engagement.” The use of glass is first seen at the entrance to the building into the central learning commons, which is fronted by a 25-foot-tall and 30-foot-wide glass panel curtain wall. The panels are specially coated for heat and light reflection allowing an abundance of natural light in and visually connecting the interior to the adjoining courtyard.
Flanking the learning commons is perhaps the curriculum’s key learning room, the maker space, a place where students’ creative and technical concepts are put into production. The room is surrounded by glass so that other students can see the work going on, be inspired by it and even join in. The interior glass walls are built with 1/4-in. clear-tempered glass panels and doors that also provide soundproofing. “The maker space is a great example of how the building allows this type of teaching and learning,” says Ms. Hollingsworth. “The students can look in and think, ‘I can do that.’”
Another example is in the math area, where four math classrooms surround a glass-lined teacher-planning area. The central placement not only allows teachers of different disciplines to explore ways their subjects can integrate but also let the students witness, or even be invited into, the collaboration process. The connectivity between spaces is not just visual; throughout the building careful consideration of proximity and access will allow for the free flow of thought and action. For instance, students may be learning robotics in the two computer science classrooms adjacent to the maker space. Once the robots are designed in the labs, they can be built in the maker space, and polished concrete and vinyl floors mean the new machines can move easily back and forth between lab and factory.
In addition to the structural layout of the building and connected spaces, the fit out and furnishings will play an important role in delivering the curriculum. The learning commons will feature adaptable and easily reconfigured furniture, allowing students to form groups, expand them if necessary, and even give presentations. Inside the classrooms, the focus has been on collapsible and adjustable furnishings, with very little actually built into the rooms.
“This is all with an eye on not only creating a flexible learning environment for today’s students but also looking ahead so that, as teaching and learning evolves, we can evolve right along with it,” says Ms. Hollingsworth. And, in keeping with the collaborative nature of both the building and the curriculum, Ms. Hollingsworth says the school has encouraged input from the students, with furnishings being an area they have become actively involved in. “For our STEAM week each year, we have included design-focused projects,” she says.
“This year, Krystal Rodrigues, of BotelhoWood Architects, came to the school to work with the students on the interior design.” The students conducted a site visit, choosing one room to focus on, and then held a client meeting with Ms. Hollingsworth and Linda Parker, the head of school. “They came up with a design and a spreadsheet with costs,” says Ms. Hollingsworth. “We’ve sought to create a sense ownership with the students, so that they feel part of, and learn from, the process.”
Ensuring that the students are able to witness the building take shape is another way the school is creating engagement. There are two viewing galleries from the existing campus, one of which has a rendering of the finished building, so the students can see how the building comes together.
Mr. Simmons says this aspect of the project has been particularly rewarding: “We hope the process is one that promotes discussion around technology, design, and sustainability. Showing students the evolution of the design along with their observation of the construction phase certainly appears to be fueling interest.” And this interest has manifested in a couple of significant ways. Ms. Hollingsworth says that several students have become “enamoured” with the architectural aspects of the project, and there is a plan to have a student-led assembly that goes through and explains the design.
Efficiency Ltd designed an HVAC system for the new BHS Innovation Centre that will improve students health, learning, and save energy compared to traditional HVAC systems. The ventilation system delivers humidity controlled conditioned fresh air to the building using the latest variable refrigerant flow (VFR) technology. Dehumidification in humid climates
is a large concern because undesirable microbes can grow in damp locations. The building is cooled with an energy efficient VRF air conditioning system that ensures the space is kept at a comfortable temperature for students to have an optimum environment to learn and be healthy.
As the BHS Innovation Centre building has laboratories, installing proper laboratory hood exhausts and ensuring the laboratory classrooms remain under negative pressure is critical to ensure that air borne contaminants do not spread to general areas of the building. Other mechanical systems that Efficiency designed for the BHS Innovation Centre include the plumbing, acid neutralisation system, emergency generator exhaust, and laboratory gas piping.