Oliphant College B-12

Construction of an entire new school –  Mark Oliphant College has been designed as a state of the art facility involving smart technologies and environmentally sustainable initiatives with the responsible use of energy, water and resources used in construction, operation and management. 

The vision for the design of the new school was that of a learning environment fit for the needs of all learners in the community, with the flexibility to adapt to needs of the school community as they evolve (and expand over the next 30 years). At the heart of the vision was a school of the future, going beyond traditional definitions.

Mark Oliphant College B-12 was designed and built for 1420 students from Kindergarten to Year 12. It is South Australia’s first purpose built facility combining care, preschool, junior primary, primary and secondary education. 

Project Details

Architects
Grieve Gillett

Address
Newton Boulevard Munno Para West, South Australia 5115 Australia

Submitter
Department for Education and Child Development , SA

Cost
Not available

Photographer
Spruik Photography – Ashley Turner

Project Overview

The school, built in a new subdivision in Munno Para West, was designed around a central play area, with a ‘schools within schools’ concept to provide four separate learning hubs; early, primary, middle and senior years, with a central administration and resource centre as the identifiable public face of the school.

Although the learning hubs are separate from each other, it was a critical aspect of the design brief that the whole site creates an atmosphere to allow cross age tutoring and an opportunity to strengthen family life and develop a sense of community. To achieve this, each learning hub is linked through the use of covered walkways and the ‘café’ area encourages socialising as students can meet and mingle during recess and lunch. This connectivity is a major feature of the college culture

The learning hubs have been coloured uniquely in the external façade allowing the students to ‘belong’ to a particular space until they transition to the next ‘school’. At the centre of the learning hubs is a focus on adaptable working environments to enhance leading edge thinking. A variety of sizes and configurations in the learning spaces provide flexibility and the ability to adapt to curriculum changes.

The central ‘learning street’ in each hub creates an environment that actively encourages learners of all abilities to interact and share resources. Classes can link with each other and take advantage of collaborative learning opportunities or open up to the learning street for combined activities. Large windows and glass sliding doors allows teachers to break away from traditional standards of ‘one size fits all’ and a ‘my classroom model’ into a 21st century style of teaching. The classrooms have the benefit of offering multi-views; within the classroom, outside to the grounds and into the learning commons. Teachers often make use of the glass windows as extended teaching resources and write on the glass during their lessons.

Classrooms in the school are adaptable, and modifying the spaces to suit changing needs has been a feature that has continued every year.