Branksome Hall Innovation Centre and Studio Theatre

Located at Branksome Hall’s East Campus, across Mount Pleasant Road from the West campus, the Innovation Centre and Studio Theatre (ICAST) will serve as a gateway that connects the two halves of the campus and sponsors performing arts, innovation, and collaboration. An existing bridge over Mount Pleasant Road will connect into the ICAST, creating a seamless and safe indoor pathway between the east and west campuses.

The modern brick, glass, and aluminum exterior material palette of ICAST carefully transitions from the brick and stone palette of the surrounding historic residential and institutional buildings and the modern aesthetic of the nearby Athletic and Wellness Centre. The brick façade transitions from a traditional red brick, reflecting that of the Historic House to the West, to a modern gray brick along the street-facing façade. The transparent street-facing façade showcases the inner workings of the school and projects them outward to the community.

The facility will embrace the school’s newly articulated values that focus on creating a sense of community, inclusivity, creativity, and making a difference, while amplifying the school’s core mission to challenge and inspire their students to love learning and shape a better world.

ICAST will enhance Branksome Hall’s programming and enrich the school’s learning environments. This new state-of-the-art facility at Branksome Hall will serve as a catalyst for the entire community, encouraging students to explore and realize ideas that have a positive societal impact and will allow them to build on their existing partnerships and seek out new ones. The building will provide spaces—such as the STEAM Studio, Wood/Machine Shop, Robotics Lab, and Design Space—that will fit any type of innovator, which will help students learn to take risks, build confidence, and become more adaptable. The space will promote greater diversity of thought, skills, and interests, and will enhance a sense of community among students, as well as with faculty, staff, and the broader community.

Along with providing students with access to leading-edge tools and technologies, ICAST will also integrate the arts to allow students to fully realize their creative and innovative projects on various platforms, providing space for the exploration of multi-disciplinary initiatives.

The facility will include a new 200-seat studio theatre “black box” for performances, rehearsals, and classes, as well as provide much-needed room to host inspiring speakers, panel discussions, and community events. The building will also include a “Pitch Space” that has stadium seating and will connect the innovation spaces to an open lobby space and will serve as a central gathering area for students to have informal performances or pitch their innovative ideas.

Ultimately, this facility will further set the school apart, creating an innovation hub that will bridge the gap in the current STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) environment and address gender inequity in these fields.