Completed in 2018, New Farm State School’s new D Block features 7 general learning areas (GLAs), carpark, under croft and amenities. This new building provides a playful and protected precinct for prep, Grade 1 and Grade 2 students. The sloping site allowed the two-storey building to connect with the adjacent existing hall on the upper floor while providing a basement carpark accessed from Annie Street. The colour and material pallet is largely inspired by the adjacent school hall.
Easing the transition for new students into their school lives, and maintainingprivacy for the school’s neighbours were the main design considerations for thisproject. The perforated ‘C’ shape protects the courtyard from the busy roads. The bright colours and use of lightweight fibre cement cladding to the courtyard face of the building creates an inspirational and supportive space for the school’s new students. The colours and undulation in the screens are playful, and filter sights and sounds between the school and residential neighbours. The green and yellow prominent on the courtyard façade is referenced in the wall and floor finishes within the classrooms, balanced with a deep blue to maintain a supportive and productive learning. The subdued colours and domestic materials to the street-frontage of D Block compliments the restrained residential neighbourhood surrounding the school. The raking Lysaght longline 305 Colorbond Astro walls evokes the metal roofing of the surrounding houses, visually breaking the large façade.
The pencil column to the Hawthorn Street façade is a design feature that arose during construction. It was a design solution to a required structural column, that biscoe wilson | architects enjoyed designing and Hutchinson builders enjoyed constructing. The lift in the new building and connection to the existing hall helps to improve the accessibility throughout the school.
Project Team | Robert Biscoe, Marion Wilson, Joelie Clark, Winson Leung, Jessica Thurecht, Jas Stancombe
Electrical Engineers | Building Services Integration
Hydraulic Engineers | H Design
Structural and Civil Engineers | Farr Engineers Associates
Photographer | Hutchinson Builders
To view the Work in Progress for this project, click here.
