The esteemed practice has paid homage to Brighton Grammar alum John Robertson Duigan MC – best known for designing and flying the first Australian-made powered aircraft – by delivering a centre of innovation and creativity.

Architectus upholds its penchant for delivering innovative purpose-built facilities with the design of the Duigan Centre at Brighton Grammar School, located on St Andrews Street in Brighton, Victoria. 

The new two-level centre houses learning spaces dedicated to nurturing excellence in science, technology and the arts. Two basement-level carparks and three new tennis courts also add to the dynamism of the site.

Architectus senior associate and project lead Anthony Apolloni says the Duigan Centre is also particularly significant and monumental for the practice, as the centre’s stunning skylights and judicious selection of in-situ materials are attributed to the late and treasured associate principal, Paulo Sampaio.

“This project holds special significance as one of Paulo’s final designs,” Apolloni says. “His vision for light-filled and open spaces and the careful juxtaposition of materials is evident throughout the building.”

Sampaio’s legacy and talent for creating functional and beautiful learning environments is immortalised through the naming of a link bridge connecting the Duigan Centre with the existing library. 

The spirit of John Duigan lives on 

The Duigan Centre fulfils the school’s wishes to celebrate the achievements and gusto of John Duigan, who, with help from his brother, became the first Australian to design, build and fly an aircraft in Australia. 

Students and staff are reminded everyday of the rewards associated with perseverance and hard work, as a replica of Duigan’s aircraft, ‘The Duigan Flyer,’ is now suspended in the school’s 1882 Gallery. Brighton Grammar headmaster Ross Featherston says Duigan’s story as an entrepreneur, scholar, traveller and veteran of both World Wars “needs to be told”.

“It is my hope that the thousands of Brighton Grammar boys who walk under his aircraft every day will take a little bit of John Duigan with them,” he says.

Championing learning in a visible and active way 

Architectus was guided by four design principles when delivering the Duigan Centre – respect for the stakeholders, surrounding landscape and heritage buildings, honest expression of form, function and materiality, porosity of space, and transparency, namely promoting learning in a visible way. The project team closely collaborated with multiple stakeholders, including St. Andrews Anglican Parish, St. Andrews Tennis Club and students and staff. 

“Extensive consultation took place with various user groups to help co-design the Duigan Centre and ensure the space met the diverse needs of its stakeholders,” Apolloni says.

He says the project’s embrace of transparency manifests in generous volumes of glass that magnify interactive learning activities. 

“The design strategically incorporates glass partitions between classrooms and circulation corridors, ensuring that learning activities remain visible while preserving the functionality of teaching environments,” he says. “This approach allows students and teachers to benefit from a sense of openness, without compromising the structure of lessons.”

Onlookers also benefit from transparency, as the glass facades on St Andrews Street and other elevations offer visibility into the school from the outside. “These sightlines integrate the Duigan Centre with its community and reinforce the relationship between the school and its surroundings,” Apolloni says. 

Embracing trends in education centre design that boost engagement

Apolloni explains that the centre’s laneway, cloister, courtyard and windows chronicle a spatial story and subvert traditional understandings of a classroom. 

“The spatial journey engages with light, context and the school’s ideals, far beyond a typical classroom,” he says. 

Architectus’ team embraced the principles of education centre design to create spaces that foster interdisciplinary learning, collaboration and real-world problem-solving skills. 

A forward-thinking environment ‘like no other’ 

Although the Duigan Centre only opened on 27 February, Apolloni delights in the initial feedback from the school community. 

“The level one science staff have been ‘completely blown away’ by how the new space has transformed their teaching and learning experience,” he shares. 

The project team was touched by the description bestowed upon Duigan Centre by School Council Chairman Peter Ickeringill as a “facility like no other”.

“He highlighted the sense of excitement and pride the building instils in students, encouraging them to ‘dream of what is possible’ and emphasising the centre’s role in creating a forward-thinking environment,” Apolloni says. 

Photography by Trevor Mein. 

For more on designers moving beyond the typical, read about FK and Technē teaming up on a precinct that goes ‘beyond the traditional airport hotel experience’.