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Architect’s Statement
This expansive centre presents a public face for
an esteemed private school. It invites the community,
reveals the learning activities of students and
expresses a collaborative experience.
A series of variously glazed and linked pavilions run
adjacent to a main thoroughfare and extend the existing
heritage listed 19th century blue stone elevation to
embody our central design idea of a transparent
campus wall. Our design creates a new campus
entry, consolidates the school’s library facilities and
provides supporting lecture theatre and seminar
rooms that create a learning focused campus centre.
This building is open to its surrounding environment,
exposing the process of learning to the community
whilst establishing visual and physical connection to the
existing campus buildings, adjacent park and gardens,
and an enormous historic elm tree. By contrast, the
western most end is abstract and monumental, a solid
but delicately detailed brick facade that symbolizes the
collection of books it encloses.
Behind this edge building, an auditorium is pulled out
from the plan so that the roof for this space becomes
an external amphitheatre - a sporting pavilion - that
faces onto one of the ovals. Inside the main library
building and against the glazed facade, a massive linear
plank shifts alignment and size to become seating and
desks, group learning zones and then a new collections
area. Revealing the learning environment, these series
of choreographed activities transform the building
threshold to become dynamic and permeable. This
building curates a journey of learning and discovery
revealing the architecture and the surrounds to both the
students and community alike.