A new £18 million community hub in Wishaw has been awarded top of class in the Scottish Design Awards 2023 after winning the Education Building or Project category and taking home the highly prestigious Grand Prix in Architecture award.

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 campus comprises two schools and a family learning centre into one shared campus.

Hub South West Scotland delivered this award-winning project on behalf of North Lanarkshire Council with BAM Construction as its construction partner. 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).

Scottish Design Award judges were highly impressed by the many design features to promote both passive and active learning. 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.

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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: "Schools are at the heart of any healthy community. So, providing a successful, sustainable learning environment that promotes wellbeing is a contributing factor in supporting learning within a well-knitted social environment.

"This recognition for the creative, sustainable design of Newmains 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. It is an exceptional space for community activity - delivering inclusion and engagement to build social cohesion and every unique aspect of this project has been received exactly as intended.|"

Michael Ross, Chief Executive of hub South West Scotland added: "This new community hub is far more than just a school, it's a community facility in every sense, providing state-of-the-art, flexible learning spaces which bring huge benefits to pupils and the wider community. Everyone involved in delivering this campus is delighted it has achieved much deserved recognition on a national stage."

Councillor Angela Campbell, Convener of Education, Families and Children, said: "The new hub is a wonderful asset for the entire community to enjoy - it's a shining example of the vision and ambition we have for communities across North Lanarkshire. It is far more than just a school, it’s a community facility in the truest sense. I'd like to congratulate everyone involved in the design and construction of the hub on winning this much-deserved national award."

Jim Ward, Regional Director, BAM added: "We are delighted to have led the team to deliver a new, vibrant, and exceptional educational learning place for the community. We did this by taking North Lanarkshire Councils vision, set at the outset to create a 'design led brief' by engaging with the local communities, making them an integral part of the development process, which in turn makes them feel proud of their new facilities. The outcome is outstanding, and the awards recognition is fully merited."