MGS Architects has a long and well documented history of delivering outstanding education design. The studio’s experience ranges from the very large scale – such as campus masterplanning, through to building design for kindergartens right through to tertiary institutions.

Having completed the strategic masterplan for Xavier College’s Senior School campus in Melbourne, MGS was engaged to design its new Kostka Building, intended to house the school’s Year 7 and 8 student cohort.

The brief called on MGS to create an environment that could support the needs of its young students – particularly with regards to social connectivity; and deliver a building that was accessible to people of different abilities, sensitive to its heritage site surrounds, and connected back to the rest of the campus.

As Elliet Spring, director at MGS, and project director of Kostka Building, points out, if there is one thing MGS understands, it is contemporary pedagogy. “We bring a deep commitment to understanding the client and becoming part of the culture. That means spending time in assemblies, meeting teachers and preparing projects that are particular to place and client,” says Spring.

Biophilic and salutogenic design principles led MGS’ design response for the Kostka Building and saw the team prioritise a sense of constant connection to the surrounding landscape. As you view through a classroom, for example, you can always see the landscape beyond. There’s also the exposed Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) structure which enhances the building’s eco-friendly profile and promotes renewable materials.

The building feels welcoming, calm, and almost home-like – without being too informal – just as MGS intended. And, through MGS’s collaboration with Living Edge, who worked with MGS to understand the architecture and the embedded pedagogical design principles, the building’s furniture solutions really uphold the architects’ biophilic- and salutogenic-led design vision – contributing to a wholistic outcome.

Social connection through sensitively designed spaces

Social connection emerged as a core value in this project, and became the higher purpose within MGS’ design. Spring expands on this saying, “It’s this idea that every person will learn differently … it’s important to allow student to engage with different people and different group sizes.”

With this in mind, MGS has developed carefully scaled learning neighbourhoods to house five classrooms of up to 125 students each. Size is important here as, “it’s broadly accepted that people are able to comfortably maintain relationships – get to know names and faces – in a group of up to 150 people”, says Spring.

Each neighbourhood is tailored to support various styles of informal learning. Here, versatile spaces cater to small groups, individuals, classes, and entire year levels, and are adaptive to the needs of different learning activities. Spring points to group spaces where two classrooms might come together, and little nooks for one-on-ones, as well as informal learning spaces which double as spaces of self-regulation. Students are effectively empowered to engage in meaningful social interactions, and foster a sense of community and collaboration.

Furniture to transform students’ learning experiences

MGS put special focus on selecting furniture solutions that would support and promote social connection throughout the myriad learning and gathering spaces. Working closely with Living Edge, they incorporated a diverse selection of education-friendly furniture solutions that not only put social connection and flexibility to the fore, but also deliver a high level of quality and durability essential to the project. “These are young teenage boys in this building, so the furniture has got to be robust!” says Spring.

As Tim Batchelor, senior education consultant at Living Edge, points out, “Within Living Edge’s education portfolio we have a wide selection of brands that are high quality, expertly designed – many are designed locally, and offer a high level of sustainability.

“MGS wanted to create many different environments that were both collaborative and supported people working differently. So flexible furniture solutions were incredibly important to them,” Batchelor.

MGS selected Herman Miller OE1 tables on castors to use throughout the classrooms. These tables are reconfigurable and easily adapt to all manner of classroom activities. Even better, the OE1’s design enables the college to maintain the table bases and simply refurbish or replace the tabletops, to suit their evolving needs.

Spring and her team also selected Herman Miller Verus Task chairs for the teachers’ offices. In her own words: “It’s so important for teachers to feel valued and supported. They really work hard and to arrive at your desk to these beautiful, high-quality chairs…” Well, it’s a reward in itself.

Across the neighbourhoods’ communal areas Derlot’s Prisma modular system has been used, contributing to a vibrant and adaptable environment for students to gather and collaborate. “These modular ranges from Derlot were selected for their different back sizes, they interlock beautifully and uphold the language of the architecture which has a large, faceted feel,” says Spring.

Meanwhile in the informal, interactive areas Derlot’s Stump Stools quickly and easily support intimate interactions and discussions. “Every time we go back to the Kostka Building, the furniture has been reconfigured in a different way – just as we hoped,” says Spring.

One of her favourite spaces is the rooftop terrace with its breathtaking views. Here, Twig outdoor seating supports the students’ social and study activities. They are fit-for-purpose – that is, highly durable, not to mention a beautiful example of Australian design at its best.

“The school has been so happy with how the Kostka Building has helped to support their pedagogical direction and they are looking to reinforce the same ideas across the rest of the campus,” comments Spring. “Teachers have embraced it, and students are really happy – it has positively impacted their relationships and behaviour.”

For Batchelor, the project is an exemplar for how quality, sustainable design can positively impact learning and teaching. “I’m proud of this project, it’s a great example of how we were able to collaborate with MGS from the earliest days, to understand the design of this beautiful building and how important the furniture was to this pedagogical design. The end result really speaks for itself,” says Tim.

Living Edge

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