Drumgeith Community Campus wins at Learning Places Scotland Awards 2026

Drumgeith Community Campus in Dundee has won the Pupil/Student Experience category at the Learning Places Scotland Awards 2026.

Designed by Holmes Miller for Dundee City Council, the campus has transformed the educational experience for pupils by bringing learning, wellbeing and community facilities together within one inclusive and future-focused environment.

The new campus welcomed 1,400 pupils in its first year and has been designed to accommodate up to 1,900. It replaces two outdated secondary schools and includes a large integrated Additional Support Needs department, creating a shared campus that supports a wide range of learners.

Flexible classrooms, modular breakout spaces and specialist ASN facilities provide different settings for teaching, small-group work and individual support. These are complemented by a community library, theatre, café, fitness suite, sports halls, dance studios, adult learning spaces and extensive outdoor pitches.

Learning spaces are arranged around open and welcoming social areas that encourage interaction, collaboration and informal learning. Clear connections between different parts of the building help pupils move confidently through the campus, while shared facilities create opportunities for activity and engagement beyond the classroom.

Health and wellbeing were central to the design. Biophilic interiors draw inspiration from Dundee’s surrounding hills, trees and river landscape, using natural daylight, calming green tones, timber finishes and views to the outdoors to create a welcoming and uplifting atmosphere.

The campus is also one of the UK’s largest Passivhaus Classic educational buildings. Its high-performance building fabric, exceptional airtightness and classroom mechanical ventilation with heat recovery provide excellent air quality, thermal comfort and acoustic performance throughout the year. Air source heat pumps and a solar photovoltaic array help reduce energy use and operational costs.

The award recognises the campus’s positive impact on learning, social interaction and wellbeing, as well as its lasting value for the wider community. It reflects the ambition shared by Dundee City Council, the design team, contractors, educators and community stakeholders throughout the project.

The project was delivered with Robertson Construction Tayside, Goodson Associates, Atelier Ten and Sussed Sustainability.