Maximising Space, Maximising Potential: Castlebrae Community Campus

The development of Castlebrae  Community Campus was an ambitious project, designed to replace the existing school with a state-of-the-art facility that included a STEM centre of excellence. This new secondary school, in Craigmillar, needed to serve both students and the local community. The design had to support collaborative and inclusive learning while integrating a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces, including a 3G football pitch and a community town square.

The vision for the new facility was developed collaboratively with the school, key stakeholders from the authority and partners. The brief development was led strategically (top-down), and the detailed development of new space typologies were informed by end users (bottom up). Early engagement of the architects in the briefing process was instrumental in ensuring the building design responded fully to key objectives determined in the brief.

The design for Castlebrae emphasised an open, cohesive flow that encouraged interdisciplinary collaboration. The lack of rigid departmental boundaries fostered a culture of teamwork and innovation. A highlight was the “super-lab” concept, which was met with immediate enthusiasm from the school. Our talented interior designers worked collaboratively with the architects and stakeholders to deliver an interior scheme that celebrates the vision and values of the school. Care was taken to ensure that the overall feel of the building was de-institutionalised through the colour scheme.

By getting ahead in the design process during Hub Stage I, we were able to conduct a more detailed review in Stage II. This early design freeze allowed for the full integration of mechanical and electrical (M&E) systems, ensuring that the building’s interior design could be fully realised without compromise.

The new Castlebrae Community Campus is more than just a school, it’s a vibrant learning environment that supports student achievement and community engagement. The thoughtful design response to stakeholders requirements resulted in a space that not only met but exceeded the expectations of the City of Edinburgh Council and the school faculty.