Client: The City of Edinburgh Council

Project: New build high school and extensions

Budget: £40m

Services: Project management, principal designer

Project Summary: The new Boroughmuir High School was delivered as part of the Government’s ‘Schools for the Future’ programme. Moving from a traditional Victorian listed building to a new modern facility in the heart of the city was a major transformation. The new school had to respond to a tight site, which was bounded by a canal and major road networks. This resulted in creative design, including Scotland’s first rooftop sports pitch.

Unlike most other education projects, Boroughmuir started with an ‘Education Brief’, which focused on pedagogical approaches; how did the school want to teach now and in the future. This was then translated into space types and a space budget.

The new facility has helped enhance Boroughmuir’s standing as the best state school in the country.