Description

Brighton Grammar School’s new Duigan Centre is named after alumnus John Robertson Duigan, who designed and flew the first Australian-made powered aircraft in 1910. The building houses specialised areas for science, robotics, product design, and the creative arts across two teaching levels.

The design concept is underpinned by four guiding principles: respect for the stakeholders and the site, the surrounding landscape and heritage buildings; honesty in form, function and materiality; porosity and spatial connection; transparency and visible active learning. Together, the laneway, cloister, courtyard, and windows create a space that engages with light, context and learning far beyond that of a typical classroom.

The building’s spatial quality and material choices such as in-situ concrete, steel, and glass, reflect the signature design elements of the late Architectus Associate Principal Paulo Sampaio (1975-2024), whose contribution has been honoured with the naming of a link bridge connecting Duigan Centre with the existing library. Paulo’s vision for light-filled, open spaces and the careful juxtaposition of materials is evident throughout the building. The Duigan Centre stands as a testament to Paulo’s remarkable ability to create beautiful, functional and inspiring learning environments.

What's On

Join Architectus Principal John Sprunt and Senior Associate Anthony Apolloni on a tour of the newly opened Duigan Centre. The tours will begin on St Andrews Street, where tour participants will hear about the overall design vision for the building. The tour will continue into the building, through ground level, where participants can view the various practical learning spaces, and the impressive full-scaled replica ‘Duigan Flyer’ biplane suspended from the Enterprise Gallery ceiling. \n \n Proceeding to level one, participants can take a peek into the science labs, before travelling up to the rooftop tennis courts, where they will learn about the innovative dual slab system that was implemented to minimise noise and vibration from being transmitted into the learning spaces below. The tour will showcase how this future focussed learning environment sits perfectly at ease in its historical context.