Sheldon College – Senior Learning Centre (Building Refurbishment)

Sheldon College Senior Learning Centre has been created from a building envelope that previously housed the college’s administration and several teaching spaces. Internal partitions have been reconfigured with minor alterations to the exterior to enable the building to be re-tasked into a flexible, modern research and learning facility.

Project Details

Architects
Burling Brown & Partners Pty Ltd

Address
Taylor Road, Sheldon, Qld, 4157

Submitter
Brian Kidd

Cost
$999.953.00

Photographer
John Mills

Project Overview

The nature of research and learning within a school environment is ever changing. It adjusts and adapts to the available technology and the requirements of the student and community. As a result the building that houses this activity must also be flexible and adaptable.

Sheldon College Senior Learning Centre has been created from a building envelope that previously housed the college’s administration and teaching spaces. Internal partitions have been reconfigured with minor alterations to the exterior to enable the building to be re-tasked into a flexible, modern research and learning facility.

A series of interconnecting spaces of varying sizes have been created. These can be manipulated by the students using loose furniture to create required study group or teaching areas. On the opposite scale, window seats, nooks and corners afford the opportunity for individual students to conduct self guided study or enjoy a good story. This flexibility and varying scales of space enables the building to cater for the various groups and individuals that it serves.

Access to information over the Internet via wireless networks and computers has allowed the size of physical reference collections to be reduced and its content supplemented by up to the minute video and audio from all areas of the globe. This reduction in paper-based material has opened up spaces to flexible learning outcomes based on both old and new technology. 

A change in floor level and fixed bench seating separates Student Lounge 2 from the adjoining spaces. While having a more defined arrangement, this space can still be utilised by groups of varying sizes with the corners and nooks providing opportunities for students to gain privacy within a larger area. The elevation of this area also affords a view that overlooks the adjoining space creating an internal cityscape of varying heights and densities.

Group Study rooms have been created for activities that require greater privacy or may disrupt the general building community. These have been colour coded to simplify identification and management.

Year 12 Students have access to a segregated lounge for rest and recreation that opens onto a Courtyard and overlooks the activity of the adjoining spaces (separation with connection).