For 77 years, Markham College has held a tradition of constant innovation. With new challenges regarding the way we teach and learn, Markham has embarked on building a future-proof Primary section that adapts to change. The building will be finished in February 2024. This design proposal defies the traditional four-wall classroom and aims to transform the whole experience of going to school by offering flexibility and multipurpose learning environments that enable choice and promotes passion from an early age. Rosan Bosch Studio, an interdisciplinary practice for art, architecture and design, and IDOM, an independent multinational company that specialises in engineering and architecture have designed a building custom-made for flexible learning, a focus on sustainability, and ready to meet the future requirements in education. 

The philosophy behind Rosan Bosch Studio´s design is based on creating playful learning spaces that transform the concept of education through design. As Bosch has said in her book, Play to Learn: "Give children the freedom to invent, experiment, be creative and play", ideas that have guided the New Primary Building project as a new landscape for learning. These new spaces respond to 21st century pedagogical requirements such as constant interaction and connection between indoor and outdoor areas and a link to nature and outdoor learning. This proposal generates an ecosystem that encourages students to develop their learning journey in flexible spaces that  encourage creativity, freedom of choice and ignite a passion for learning. The New Primary Building, seeks to offer Markham students different tools and technology so that they can choose according to their individual interests and needs to independently create a process of learning that allows them to develop skills and acquire knowledge to lead them into the future. 

The new school´s facilities are conceived as learning communities where teachers can apply collaborative ways of learning between groups and disciplines that allow for a transition from the conventional classroom to a different learning landscape. Students can explore new ways to learn in an environment that challenges their creativity with multimedia tools and resources to express themselves and their ideas. 

These new environments that encourage project-based learning were created based on Rosan Bosch Studio´s 6 principles* that connect physical environments with different learning situations. 

Mountain Top: establishes a space for each student to address a group and share his or her ideas and knowledge. The speaker plays the role of the educator. 

The Cave: offers a learning situation that allows for calm, individual reflection, and concentration without isolation. These are small spaces that cater to one or two students and are located at a distance from more interactive facilities. 

Campfire: provides a space for group learning situations. It trains students to work effectively in smaller teams with a focus on dialogue and collaborative skills. 

Watering Hole: makes the best out of informal spaces and high transit areas. This is a space of disruptions where learners encounter unexpected ideas, surprises, and knowledge that might motivate and inspire them. 

Hands-on: offers a link between theory and practice in a non-verbal way that involves practice, mind and body, insight, and play. It makes learning more relevant and motivational. 

Movement: integrates movement as a natural part of all spaces, no matter what individual personality or subject is studied. Movement enhances cognitive skills and energises the learning process. 

*Information has been taken from Rosan Bosch´s official website.

According to legend, the Rimac River - or Talking River - was born from the sacrifice of Rimac and Chaclla, sons of the Sun God Inti, to appease a severe drought that was plaguing the people of the Lima valley. Chaclla was admired for her beauty and virtuousness; and Rimac was famous among mortals for the stories he told them and for his kind heart. After his death, having become a river, he continued to whisper stories to those who passed by.

Rosan Bosch Studio took this myth as a reference and materialised it into a grand pathway that unfolds through the new campus, connecting cutting-edge enclosed spaces with open spaces in a coherent flow, and inspiring learning communities with its stories. Its journey begins and ends at the library, a "Tower of Knowledge" designed as a space of connection, collection and collaboration that inspires reading and culture. The "Tower" has wide open spaces that accommodate students' interests and questions, and provides creative spaces, which can be turned into exhibition stations. From here, and with the help of the Talking River, different forms of knowledge spread across three floors, spreading light and knowledge in its wake.

Understood in this way, the Talking River is a powerful thread of communication that emerges from the heart of the school, runs downhill, and connects all corners of the campus - the three levels, the varied topographies, the outdoor spaces and play areas, the internal courtyards, and laboratories - providing shaded areas for rest and play, as well as meeting and collaborative spaces for the school's diverse communities to share and learn together.

The social core provides areas for public functions: the reception, the theatre, the cafeteria, the administrative area, the sports complex and the aquatic centre. Parents and other members of the community can access these spaces on special occasions, such as festivals or competitions. This core has a common entrance to the campus, acting as a bridge between the new building and the kindergarten area. The design is based on the organic materials, vibrant colours and lighting qualities of the Peruvian rainforest.

Rosan Bosch Studio's design team is working to find the flexibility and synergies between different uses to make the most of the existing spaces. For example, some activities that could be held in the auditorium - such as exhibitions, fairs, parents' meetings, etc. - could also be held in the cafeteria, or in the multi-purpose hall. Thus, the theatre will have 400 seats and a stage with an armature system that allows the use of different scenographies for each play. Similarly, the cafeteria is an open space with 250 seats inside, 50 seats on the entrance steps, and 90 seats outside, which will have shade structures made of lightweight materials and UV protection.

The sports facilities consist of both indoor and outdoor spaces. Students will find two swimming pools - one semi-Olympic-sized and one for small children; a gymnasium that flows along the natural elevations of the local topography with 200 seats; a climbing area with an 8-metre climbing wall; three football pitches in the central outdoor area; two basketball courts above the swimming pools; and a sports centre above the gymnasium. The different needs of each sports area are arranged with the help of a series of concrete platforms.