Striking and imaginative, this building is now famous for its wall of black glazed brick in a silhouette that mimics its neighbouring Federation houses. Its other most notable features, the red and black striped roof and upstairs ceiling, also cleverly apply simple materials to deliver spectacular architecture on a Building the Education Revolution (BER) budget.

IN BRIEF

Create a worthy public interface for the school in a two-storey Year 5/6 block with three classrooms above and below. Uphold the school’s pedagogy whereby the classroom is the fundamental physical unit of teaching, strictly adhering to the dimensions fixed by the client. The resulting building was designed to a theme that symbolised the ‘power, richness and fantastical potential of a 10-12 year old boy’s imagination’.

ARCHITECT’S WORDS

We wanted this building to acknowledge and exploit its unusual urban condition. All wanted this building to be a unique acknowledgment of an important threshold stage in the boy’s school life. All wanted more than just good accommodation, and we wanted a building of the imagination.

This proposal takes just the silhouette of a Federation home, it is up-scaled, extruded and sliced. The front of the building might be described perhaps as a haunted house, the centre (the extrusion) is vaguely a Shinto Shrine, the rear (which interfaces with the schools ovals), if you squint - The Big Top.

The planning is arranged so as to provide northern courtyards to the ground floor classrooms, upstairs the corridor is switched to reduce overlooking to the adjacent neighbour. The ground floor Grade 5 classrooms have rich deep colours and an earthy ambience.

The first floor is ethereal. With more than a nod to Utzon’s Bagsvaerd Church the complex silhouette is smoothed to a cloudlike shape. The extruded chimney is a source of light and a means of naturally ventilating the classroom space.

ACCOLADES

  • Think Brick Awards, Horbury Hunt Award 2011
  • Melbourne Design Awards, Commercial Architecture 2011
  • IDEA (Interior Design Excellence Awards), Institutional category (Highly Commended) 2011
  • World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards Barcelona 2011 (Shortlisted)

PRODUCTS

WALLS
AUSTRAL BRICKS, PRESSED BRICK, RED
BORAL BRICKS, NUVO ASPIRE RANGE
EUROA CLAY PRODUCTS, GLAZED BRICK, BLACK
KRAUSE BRICKS, GRAMPIAN BLUE
BORAL BRICKS, 'DESIGNER BLOCK' CONCRETE BLOCK
EXPRESSED JOINTS, LOW SHEEN ACRYLIC PAINT
FLUSH FINISHED PLASTERBOARD, LOW SHEEN ACRYLIC PAINT
WET PLASTERBOARD, LOW SHEEN ACRYLIC PAINT
AUTEX QUIETSPACE, ACOUSTIC PANELS 
CERADOMUS, IRRIDESCANT GREEN MOSAIC TILE

ROOF
COLORBOND, 'LONGLINE' ROOFING, SHALE GREY
COLORBOND, 'SPANDEK' ROOFING, HEADLAND, MONUMENT
COLORBOND, 'KILPLOK 700' ROOFING, SHALE GREY

PAINT
DULUX, FIERY GLOW, PASTEL PEA, BLACK, VIVID WHITE BUBBLES AND BLUE LIMEWASH QUARTER

FLOORING
CARPET

CONCRETE
BLUESTONE AGGREGATE

KITCHENETTE
CLARK SINK
HANSGROHE MIXER

TOILETS
CAROMA, BASINS AND TOILETS
ENWARE AUSTRALIA, TAPS

DRINKING FOUNTAINS
BRITEX

LIGHTING/FITTINGS
ZUMTOBEL
ILED
REGGIANI
STANILITE
LUMASCAPE LIGHTING INDUSTRIES
KLIK SYSTEMS
PIERLITE
ISM OBJECTS
SYLVANIA LIGHTING AUSTRALIASIA
INLITE