Brisbane South State Secondary College is an innovative vertical school located within the Brisbane Knowledge Corridor and is an integral part of this leading education, health and research network.

A permeable and energised public realm maximises learning interactions, along with a memorable and vibrant central native garden. The campus consists of flexible and resilient buildings, designed to adapt to changing learning pedagogies over time. Each building is centred around double-storey learning hubs, which offer next-level learning characterised by open, adaptable and shared presentation spaces for collaboration across multiple disciplines.

The vertical campus is connected across five new buildings with open gallery settings that formally frame views of landscape features significant in Country. The historical use of the site for camping, weaving and the making of tools by the local First Nations inspired the screens, scored details of the concrete panels, and incorporated an endemic palette of flora, colours and materials.

The sustainable aspiration for this inner-city vertical school was to create comfortable and naturally inspired learning environments where students can deeply connect with community, landscape and Country.

Carbon usage is minimised largely by the adoption of mixed mode ventilation throughout, optimised with effective solar orientation, sun shading and landscaped micro-environmental design, and offset by 100kwH solar array.

Situated on a ridge, open galleries and learning spaces orientate towards parkland settings and cooling breezes, enhancing aspect to extensive surrounding and campus native landscaping irrigated by a 400kL rainwater storage system.

Furniture: Kezu, Officeline, Woods Furniture, Koskela, Zenith, Innerspace, Stylecraft, Officscape. Lighting: Koskela. Finishes: Supawood, Interface, Tarkett, Forbo, Altro, Dulux, Staron, Kvadrat, Woven Image, Laminex, Autex, Instyle. Fittings & Fixtures: ZIP.

Photography: Christopher Frederick Jones.