The experience of designing the interiors for this landmark school continues to be unlike anything we have engaged in before, and the dedication and vision of the people that we have met along the way, and continue to meet, have been awe inspiring!

The process began in early 2008, by engaging with, meeting and interviewing the body of dedicated teachers, staff, and heads of the existing Lebone II School, in order to understand their specific classroom and office requirements in terms of layout and furniture needs. We compared classroom needs with those of other existing schools, and interviewed other teachers and experts in their subject fields, and designed a range of sample classroom furniture to realize the following criteria – comfort and space, durability, strength, and above all recyclability.

The design process requires that we regularly drive out to visit the fast growing town of Phokeng (where the new school is currently being built) – home to the Royal Bafokeng Nation, nestled between the mountains, where the sky seems to be an endless pale blue! Part of these visits are to be introduced to a range of local inhabitants with particular skills that can be utilized in the realisation of the interior design – craftsmen and women, weavers, carpenters, artists, ceramicists, upholsterers, painters, etc....

Part of the design challenge has been to create spaces which can evolve and grow, and come into their own over time. In the words of George Harris, the headmaster, “A school tells its own story, through the pupils who go through it”.