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The STEAM Precinct has been a hive of innovation since it opened in February and it has now been recognised by the Australian Institute of Architects for its ‘evocative, adaptable, and dynamic learning spaces.’

On Friday evening, the Australian Institute of Architects hosted the 2024 Queensland Architecture Awards at Brisbane City Hall. The event celebrated some of the most coveted design work in the state, including the University of Queensland Brisbane City, Riviere Kangaroo Point, and Bradbury Park Playscape in Kedron.

Focal points of the event were family futures, the reshaping of social housing perceptions, and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) facilities.

We are pleased to announce that Wilson Architects received the Jennifer Taylor Award for Educational Architecture and an Interior Architecture Commendation for their extraordinary vision of our STEAM Precinct.

Wilson Architects Managing Director, Hamilton Wilson ’78, was integral to the project’s success. As a former student, third generation BGS Old Boy, and fourth generation architect of Brisbane, Hamilton knows Brisbane Grammar keenly.

As a student, he was both inspired by the Great Hall and eager to refresh the old science blocks. This sentiment, paired with a motivation to create an inspiring arts facility for the school (which didn’t exist when he was a student), lead his team to apply for, and consequently win, the STEAM Precinct Design Competition in 2020.

Hamilton’s holistic design approach facilitates intuitive and future-proof learning experiences, as can now be felt in both the Lilley Centre and STEAM Precinct. Each of the STEAM environments prepare students for further education, fostering young innovators and allowing for seamless career integration.

A significant undertaking, the STEAM project took many months of intensive collaboration with staff, students and community stakeholders.

‘Lots of research has happened since [the Lilley Centre], especially in tertiary and secondary education,’ Hamilton said.

Hamilton and his team were thrilled to be able to use their comprehensive knowledge of these changes, applying it to their proposal for the STEAM Precinct design competition. Hamilton’s proposal stood out for its remarkably strong alignment with Headmaster Anthony Micallef’s vision, first shared back in 2014.

‘Our ideas aligned with the School’s. We just happened to be Old Boys.’

Despite being nominated for various awards, Hamilton gleams far more satisfaction from knowing he has helped create a hub for ideas and innovation – a place where BGS students can feel the world is at their fingertips.  

‘All the work we did, to actually see it come to life and see how the students are using it... It means a lot more to me than a peer award. To see how it makes an impact on an educational level, that’s actually way more important.’

For more on the Wilson family’s extensive contribution to architecture in Brisbane, be sure to keep an eye out for the Winter ‘24 edition of Grammar News.