Building More Than Walls

Posted: 10/30/2026

Thoughtful design is shaping a new chapter for St. Anne’s School, creating spaces that bring students together while preserving the character of Dunin House.

How do you create room for a growing school without losing the sense of community that makes it special? That question helped guide the design of the Rogers Wellness & Athletics Centre, a 26,000-square-foot addition that will expand opportunities for athletics, wellness, learning, and connection at St. Anne’s School.

While the regulation-size gymnasium, performance stage, and additional learning spaces are among the centre’s most anticipated features, some of its most meaningful design decisions are found in the details.

“At the heart of the project was the need to create spaces where our whole school community could come together,” said Head of School Sabrina D’Angelo. “Community is such an important part of SAS, and as a Grade 5-12 school, not having a space where we could gather everyone under one roof was a significant gap.”

The centre will address that need with a gymnasium featuring 600 retractable seats, allowing the space to serve as a venue for athletics, school assemblies, performances, and celebrations. Dedicated changerooms and athletic therapy facilities will support student-athletes, while additional classrooms and collaborative spaces will accommodate the school’s continued growth.

But the vision extends beyond what the building would contain. Equally important is how it would feel.

For the architects at Perkins&Will, designing the new centre meant looking closely at the building already at the heart of St. Anne’s.

Dunin House, with its distinctive architectural character, limestone detailing, wood panelling, and abundant natural light, inspired an addition that would feel both connected and contemporary.

Dan McTavish of Perkins&Will explained that the design draws on the architectural rhythm and materials of Dunin House rather than attempting to replicate it.

The relationship is particularly evident in the new indoor connection between the Petrachek Great Hall and the centre’s lobby. What is currently an exterior walkway will become an enclosed passage, incorporating familiar materials and a large, vaulted skylight to create a natural transition between the two buildings.

For Sabrina, this connection is one of the project’s most exciting features. “It may seem like a simple design decision, but it will really change how our girls experience the school,” she said. “Students will be able to move naturally between the two buildings and spread out across more of the campus, creating many more opportunities for informal connection, collaboration, and simply being together.”

The goal is not to create a separate destination on campus, but to extend the sense of belonging that already exists within Dunin House.

Some of the centre’s most thoughtful features may not be immediately apparent on an architectural rendering. A spacious lobby at the secondary entrance will provide another gathering place as enrolment grows. Nearby, a laptop bar positioned beside a floor-to-ceiling window will offer students a place to work, collaborate, or simply enjoy views of the surrounding property.

A skylight will bring natural light into the lobby, continuing a defining characteristic of Dunin House and strengthening the connection between indoor spaces and the outdoors.

“Our campus is spectacular in every season, from the spring and summer landscape in full bloom, to the fall foliage, to the property covered in white in the winter,” Sabrina said. “We wanted the new building to preserve that connection to the outdoors.”

The lobby, breakout areas, and informal workspaces have been intentionally designed to accommodate more than scheduled classes and activities. They will provide room for the conversations, friendships, and spontaneous interactions that are an essential part of school life.

“These details may not be the first things people notice on a floor plan, but I think they will become some of the most meaningful parts of how our girls actually experience the building every day,” Sabrina said.

Flexibility is also central to the design. The gymnasium, for example, must serve two very different purposes: a place for students to train and compete, and a gathering space where the entire school can celebrate important moments together.

Beyond the 600 retractable seats, the architectural team has considered how natural light, acoustics, audiovisual technology, and durable materials will help the space transition between these functions.

Elsewhere, multipurpose rooms will accommodate different approaches to teaching and learning, from traditional classroom instruction and small-group seminars to movement and dance. Support spaces, including washrooms and changerooms, have also been planned to accommodate daily school activities, visiting athletic teams, and larger community events.

Together, these decisions reflect a building designed not only around the needs of today, but around the many ways students and the school community will use it in the years ahead.

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Building More Than Walls