Symphony of Play aims to celebrate the harmony between the built and the existing by inculcating all the elements of the site into the design. Including strategic and aesthetic considerations that allowed minimum intervention on the natural assets of the land, the buildings grow around the trees – rather than the other way round. This has been accomplished through extensive research on root protection norms and by experimenting with different iterations to find the one that would not only best reach this goal but also encourage social cohesion.

Music has been used as a design tool throughout the scheme. The horizontal elevations of the buildings from the street attempt to enhance the verticality of the Alder trees and the other native Scottish species present near the waterfront. The trees that pierce through the building have adjacent spaces that open up to create nooks and play spaces meant to enable musical collaboration and activity amongst the students.