Darling Range Sports College Yr 7

The main concept of the design was to provide a space which was formally and spatially simple, which then used light, colour and materials in their natural state to provide texture, interest and to create a stimulating working and learning environment for the new Year 7 students at the Darling Range Sports College.

The colours and materials of the building were chosen to interpret the vernacular of the existing school campus in a contemporary way. Red face bricks were used internally and externally, and a green colour palette was used throughout the building to respond to the green metal fascias of the existing buildings on campus.

A generous sense of space and abundant natural light and ventilation were also important outcomes for the design. The double skillion roof form of the building allowed us to achieve these goals by providing high raked ceilings with high level south facing glazing in each classroom. The windows are operated by temperature sensors which open the windows automatically to flush the building and optimize thermal comfort without the need for mechanical ventilation.

In addition to employing strategies to minimize power consumption through passive measures, the energy consumption of the building is significantly offset by a 5kW solar array on the roof. A Greensense monitoring system was also incorporated in the project, providing an interactive and educational tool for the students to monitor the energy that the building uses for lighting, mechanical ventilation, and general power.

Whilst the DoE brief for a 5 classroom block for the project was particularly prescriptive, the design team worked with the brief and the school to create a design that was 100% efficient in terms of its planning, so that the allocated rooms areas and total building area could be optimised to meet the school ‘s needs. The activity space as the heart of the building, was key in connecting the 5 classrooms and providing a flexible learning space that provided a different type of learning environment for the year 7 ‘s. The design team strived to balance the requirement of DoE ‘s brief for a fun, flexible space, with the school ‘s desire for a more traditional teaching space with more formal furniture. Each of the 5 classrooms are connected to the central activity space through large glazed acoustic sliders which allow controlled visual connection between teaching spaces. Glazed sliding doors at either end of the activity space also connect to an outdoor learn ing space where concrete seating around the verandah perimeter and tiered steps leading to the garden area provide alternative learning spaces for small groups.