… this Centre is much more than just a seven-level building with state-of-the-art, discipline-specific facilities; it is tangible evidence of how this school strives for meaning and relevance in everything it does to advance the education of young women.

It is designed with the future in mind, preparing students for the world in which they will live and work, and to know that in the midst of ambiguity, they can find solutions to the challenges we face.

Despite its very prominent presence on the Brisbane skyline, BGGS Science Learning Centre has a quiet presence within the heritage context. On entering the building, the design ideas of science and cosmology become evident within the circular atrium, open to the sky. The funnel like vertical void is naturally ventilated and its curvature offers a wonderfully surprising contrast to the square external form. Within the atrium and under the oculus, the trio of stairs rotate from grid north to solar north to magnetic north robust stairs offering a practical learning opportunity as well as a sculptural piece. Below the four science floors there is a floor of general classrooms and a flexible function space that continues a science theme but this time through the celestial realm. On the lowest level, undercroft space has been cleverly utilised to expand the campus’s HPE offering by opening onto Victoria Park.