When OMA won the 2013 competition to design Brighton College's new School of Science and Sport in England, the Dutch firm had to create a scheme where two contrasting academic disciplines were interwoven into the same building, and in a way that encourages interaction among students. The building was officially inaugurated on January 9.

“We wanted to give Brighton College a building that continues to deliver more than strictly required, expanding the traditional definition of educational architecture,” OMA Partner Ellen van Loon said.

Reflective of the fact that learning takes place outside as much as it does inside a classroom, the new building merges the department of Science and the department of Sports into one linear volume. Athletic spaces are level with the adjacent outdoor playing field, while Science classrooms, labs, and a greenhouse span over the athletic spaces. 

Level shifts, grand staircases, and plenty of glass visually connect the two departments. For instance, a ground-level indoor running track is visible from the upper levels, while the Science classrooms have floor-to-ceiling windows. Open outdoor areas allow for informal interaction and private study, and the rooftop shows off views of the North Sea. The facades were partly inspired by “the regular rhythm” of the terraced housing across the building, OMA says.

“My concern as an educator has always been the silo mentality of academic institutions so that subject specialists in one area don’t talk to those in another. [...] I really wanted to be able to stand on the sports field outside and see a beehive of different activities going on, wonderfully interconnected and alive,” said Brighton College Headmaster Richard Cairns in a statement.

Brighton College organized the 2013 competition when they needed to expand the Science School and integrate a new sports facility to foster physical well-being and athletic talent. Planning was approved in 2015, construction began in 2017, and the project was finally built on a budget of £36,700,000 (approx. $47.9 million).

Find more project photos and diagrams below.