Serisier Building and Coady Sports Centre – Mercedes College

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The most significant development the school has undertaken in its 160 year history includes: 6 General Learning Areas, 4 Science Lab’s, Seminar rooms, Fitness room, Gymnasium, enclosure and heating of the existing outdoor pool, change rooms, college wear shop, associated staff facilities and 2 unique art commissions.

Project Details

Architects
Site Architecture Studio

Address
Victoria Avenue, Perth 6000

Submitter
Paul Edwards (Site Architecture Studio)

Cost
$ 16,755,500

Photographer
Acorn Photo Agency

Project Overview

The project is the most significant development the school has ever undertaken over its 160 year history. Our master plan identified a need for 4600m2 of teaching, staff and sport spaces on a site with significant cross fall, heritage and archaeological issues and existing building constraints.

A contemporary architectural response was considered appropriate, suitable scaled to be complimentary to the college’s landscaped grounds and rich historical context of eclectic mix of architectural styles. In response, we developed a 3 storey teaching block over the ground floor pool, a Gymnasium building and a link of shared facilities in between.

We used limestone and face brick in a simple way to remain respectful to the existing buildings on the campus. The Gymnasium has large north facing glass which reflects the historical elements of the existing College.

The coloured Science Room block projects out to the north over the Sisters Grave site gardens, sheltering the pool from direct sun. Other projections are exposed and deliberately break from the grid to appeal to students’ curiosity of a world beyond the classroom and to a City beyond the college walls.

Our approach to the services and ESD was to employ passive techniques of material selection, natural lighting and ventilation. 

Some of these initiatives include: 

  • Low / no maintenance materials and finishes (stone, face brick, precast concrete, prefinished cladding) 
  • Natural light through north / south orientation and high level glazed internal street. 
  • Natural light in the gymnasium through a north facing sloping glass façade. 
  • Three pipe heat exchange cooling / heating system integrated with pool heating system. 
  • Individually controlled learning area warm air extraction fans
  • Natural ventilation through cross ventilation and open able windows
  • Column free floor plans with perimeter servicing for unlimited future reconfigurations

The large spanning structure allows the teaching floors to be reconfigured to suit changes in learning and teaching requirements through curriculum advances. This move away from the traditional cells and bells approach to learning and shifts the learning out of the classroom and into the corridors and outside spaces.