St Clare's Primary School
Melbourne, Australia
Category
Education
Year
2020
Project Size
Small
Firm name
ROAM Architects
Firm address
Melbourne, Australia
Photographer
Tatjana Pitt

Project Description

DESIGN AWARDS ENTRY CONTENT: St Clare’s Primary School was established in 2014. Since that time student numbers have steadily grown. As a result, the project brief for Stage 3 called for six new learning areas specifically to accommodate year 5 & 6 students. The overall design strategy was to place the new building to the east of the two existing wings, creating a courtyard which provides weather protection to the existing outdoor play areas. In consultation with the school, students and community, it was determined that additional specialist learning spaces were needed. The design accommodates two specialist learning spaces on the ground floor with the new 5/6 learning hub on the first floor. These additional spaces have been achieved within the original project budget. An early year’s play space has been incorporated at the southern end of the building proving a quieter play space away from the central courtyard. Positive Impact - Design Approach: The design approach was to create light filled enjoyable spaces which are not only exciting to learn in but also subtly flexible to adapt to a range of teaching and learning needs on any given day. A key focus was in creating multiple opportunities for learning spaces to be configured in unexpected ways through the use of sliding screens, sliding doors, benches & nooks. The design creates a positive impact for the staff and students by not only providing a new learning hub on the first floor for the year 5/6 students but also providing Library, Art and Community Spaces on the ground floor. These spaces include facilities for community members to gather with the ability to use the library as a community resource. Covered links connect these spaces to the other school buildings - creating a new centrally located 'community and learning heart'. The spaces themselves are designed to be visually calming, featuring a palette of soft pastels, greys and blues supplemented with the use of natural timber. This creates a nurturing and supportive environment for students, staff and community members. Value for money was achieved by including high quality finishes where they can be enjoyed and experienced such as the Vic Ash timber lined study nooks. Similarly the circular skylight above the central stairs provides a moment of joy and drama in a location that will be experienced by all students as they pass through the space each day.