This milestone scheme in the field of pre-school education will deliver a multicultural educational facility for over 2,000 pupils and 400 support staff
Bogle Architects have developed an architectural and educational vision that will provide a rich learning environment for pupils, parents, and staff.
The design responds to the challenge of making a very large building, of over 50,000sqm, feel intimate and personalised. This is achieved by the arrangement of 'clusters', each of which are formed on a similar scale to a standard ‘nursery at the end of the street’, with 4 classrooms in every cluster.
These clusters sit atop a podium level which handles the extensive transportation web of bus, car, taxi and pedestrian arrivals and departures.
The clusters are then stacked vertically over 5 or 6 floors as interlocking and overlapping blocks – echoing the playful nature of a child’s toy. The podium also provides external play space, a swimming pool, a multifunctional hall and specialist classrooms for art, music and dance.
External ETFE canopies provide protection from the elements but also break the scale of the school on the street frontage. Green walls and external play balconies are provided for every classroom offering an external learning environment which is essential for the development of young children.
The scheme has been designed in collaboration with Professor Gary Moore from Sydney University and Early Years educationalist Rosie Long.
The project has commenced on site and is due for completion in 2017.
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