Brentwood College School
REGENERATIVE CAMPUS PLAN
Mill Bay, BC
In collaboration with McLennan Design and Brentwood College School, we developed a visionary plan for a regenerative campus that prioritizes the students and their connection to the incredibly diverse landscape they have available to them.
Early conversations with BCS faculty informed a series of foundational questions meant to guide the conversation in the right direction. These Essence Questions form the conceptual framework for the Brentwood College School Campus Vision.
How can the campus fully embrace and enhance its waterfront experience through restoration, education, and ecological design?
How can the campus architecture and infrastructure integrate and celebrate water?
How can the architecture and infrastructure of the campus enrich the school’s tripartite methodology by becoming a series of active pedagogical tools?
The campus is situated at an “ecotone” –an ecological transition zone known for its interchange of nutrients and resulting in incredible diversity and richness. This serves as an apt metaphor for Brentwood: an educational and human development ecotone, guiding students through the most important transition of their lives into adulthood. The two transitions should reinforce and underscore each other.
How can we create innovative campus buildings that inspire, nurture and excite?
How can this new opportunity to address campus development be used to ground students in the new reality of coming of age during the peak of the Anthropocene? How can it highlight the global challenges and opportunities for solutions?
How can this project’s design bolster the school financially through responsible operating costs, durability and long term resilience?
How can this next phase of campus development elevate the experience of the built environment to the highest possible levels of performance, stewardship, and design excellence?
How can the buildings themselves encourage active learning, co-creation, and holistic thinking?
How can purpose-built spaces enhance effectiveness and engagement?
How do we create an iconic architectural expression that places Brentwood College School on the world stage?
