We use brick for the base of the building as a reminder of the brick that dominated the Jesuit campuses in Shanghai and other parts of China that Xavier School's founding priests were forced to leave. This building is almost like a ship that transported those refugees to freedom; the circular exhaust vents that line the northern roof edge are almost like portholes.

The site is large but the considerable program of spaces required a considerable manipulation of section, meaning that where it was possible, spaces overlapped like tectonic plates sliding past each other. The west-side bleachers of the Basketball Court, for example, climb over locker rooms and project over a promenade below. In another example, the Upper Gym bleachers roof over the Upper Gym's lockers below.

Natural daylight and natural ventilation are consistent ingredients of all the spaces. The modulation of sunlight informs various architectural features such as the projection of the roof eaves, the use of louver blocks, and the use of glass blocks.

The building aims to be an environment for the creation of a child's memories. The continuous perimeter of brick wall on the ground floor provides the opportunity for the tactile experience of running one's fingers along the surface of the brick wall. There are recesses in the brick wall that contain benches where the child can sit, alone or with friends. Opportunities to sit are part of the architectural magnanimity of the building that also animates its grammar.

The building responds to the climate, to the site, to the school's needs, and, at the most primordial level, to the need of the child to sit alone or with his or her friends. The building's responsiveness gives it meaning, which enriches the child's experience.  

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