James Gillespies High School

James Gillespie’s High School was included in the Wave 3 of funding from Edinburgh City Council’s on-going programme of investment to create education facilities that are fit for purpose in the 21st Century. The “A” listed Bruntsfield House has been refurbished to provide student support accommodation and administration. Each building has been designed as a separate entity that can be used in combination or separately. Four flexible collaborative spaces within the Main Teaching Block have been developed to reflect the four main curriculum groupings.

The Performance Building design offers a practical range of settings for various assembly and performance sizes and events. The Sports Pavilion provides regional-standard training facilities. The new buildings are versatile and adaptable, providing flexible ‘learning settings’ that support the multiplicity of activities associated with the learning process now and in the future, as well as creating a range of pupil experiences and choice. This complex project provides an exemplar in the development of educational facilities that reflect the philosophy of the new Curriculum for Excellence, while the architectural response evolves its form and mass from the unique setting of the locale and its campus environment.