The project replaces a series of ageing, unhealthy classrooms with a new learning environment aligned with contemporary
pedagogy and the aspirations of the Brockville School community.

Guided by the school’s vision “Tuhura Ora Ako – Discover a Life of Learning”, the brief centred on learning as both a physical and cultural journey. Students move through spaces that support discovery (tuhura), wellbeing (ora), and learning (ako), reflecting their development from junior to senior years.

A key driver was the integration of te ao Māori principles — not as applied symbolism, but as a framework shaping how the campus is experienced. The architecture was required to foster belonging, support collective learning, and strengthen connections between students, whānau, and the wider community. The school’s culturally diverse student body further informed the design, requiring spaces that are inclusive, adaptable, and capable of supporting a wide range of cultural expression and community use. As a central hub within Dunedin’s hill suburb, the school also needed to accommodate shared use, reinforcing its role beyond education.

A new five-classroom block is arranged in a T-shaped plan, defining a protected outdoor heart — a contemporary mara ātea that supports play, informal teaching, and social interaction. By shaping space rather than simply occupying it, the architecture establishes a clear social and cultural structure across the campus. At the school’s entrance, aligned with an existing tree line, a key teaching space is expressed as a modern interpretation of a wharenui. While compliant as a standard classroom, it is intentionally designed as a shared cultural space capable of accommodating both learning and gathering.

This dual-purpose environment supports pōwhiri, assemblies, and community events, embedding cultural practice into the everyday life of the school while providing a shared platform for the expression of the school’s diverse cultures. The architectural language remains deliberately contemporary, allowing cultural reference to be expressed through orientation, hierarchy, and use rather than literal form.