The Mix Awards is one of the most anticipated design awards of the year, celebrating the best of the innovative interior design industry. Multidisciplinary design practice, BDP, was presented the award for its work on Newmains & St Brigid’s Community Hub.

Designed to be environmentally and energy efficient and home to more than 600 children and staff, the project combined two schools and a family learning centre into one shared campus.

The building has already claimed a Scottish Design Award in 2023 and the regional Mix award earlier this year.

BDP’s design creates a dynamic, radial array of teaching wings set around an open, central shared space. At the heart of the new building is a multi-use area featuring Spanish steps and a helical slide that wraps around a statement figurative tree, making it an original and exciting place for children and the local community to use. There is also a reflection zone, to allow small groups or peer-to-peer learning or to provide quieter space.

The new hub provides every classroom with direct access to the grounds, encouraging a healthy relationship between young people and the outdoors. External play spaces offer a range of sensory stimulating apparatus that include a treehouse, dens and play trails, whilst further plans include the creation of a wildlife habitat to enable outdoor learning about animals and nature.

The outdoor areas include an 11-a-side sports pitch, and new paths to connect the hub with the community. A forest school has been planted with willow structures, an outdoor classroom, a fire pit and den building zone.

Sustainability is at the heart of the project. Each teaching wing and lower level space is constructed from structural timber framing, significantly reducing the building’s embodied carbon.

The state-of-the-art campus also includes a first-ever dedicated Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) themed classroom, a dedicated breastfeeding area as part of the council’s initiative to encourage more mums to breastfeed, EV charging for electric vehicles and bike storage to encourage active travel.

Lindsey Mitchell, architect director at BDP, said: “This is a building designed for the community, by the community. The vision was informed and developed through extensive consultation with pupils, staff, and the local community, so this award is for everyone who was involved!

“It’s amazing recognition for the creative, sustainable design of Newmain’s and St Bridgid’s Hub is fantastic. The project has always been about collaboration, and about creating a place for learning. That ethos really comes through and it’s so gratifying to see it being celebrated in this way.”

BDP led the wider design team, consisting of Wallace Whittle (mechanical and electrical design engineer) and Blyth and Blyth (consulting civil and structural design engineer).