Project Overview

Social mobility is at the core of SGS College’s mission. Students must feel inspired to stay in education, through campuses that feel like vibrant, working environments.

The Brunel Centre was conceived as a demonstration of this principles. It rejects conventional ideas of how a school should look, feel and function, focusing instead on flexible spaces that support modern working practice. Wellbeing and sustainability are integral to the design, creating a healthy, inspiring building; good to its users and good to the planet.

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) sets a calming tone throughout the interior; its tactile surfaces ever-present in walls, soffits, stairs and beams. The CLT frame was manufactured entirely offsite and erected by a small team in just six weeks. Externally, photovoltaic brise soleil pace along the southern elevation. These prefabricated, sculptural ‘wings’ showcase the college’s commitment to green energy, while nodding to the area’s world-leading aviation heritage.

On every level, then, the Brunel Centre is true to its an agenda of social and environmental sustainability. It sets a benchmark, proving that budgetary constraints don’t have to be a barrier to the delivery of high-quality, sustainable architecture.