St Peter’s Girls’ Early Learning Centre Extension

St Peter ‘s Girls ‘ School is a high achieving Anglican and International Baccalaureate World School, based in Adelaide.
The expansion and upgrade of the Reggio based Early Learner ‘s Centre at St Peter ‘s Girls ‘ School in Adelaide is part of the overall strategic plan for the shool campus.
The new centre connects seamlessly with the existing building, while also complementing and taking advantage of the natural bushland adjacent to the property. Students and educators use the reserve as an invaluable learning tool. The design of the building establishes a strong connection with the reserve by use of large windows. The use of colour and texture also provides a sense of connectedness between the indoor and outdoor environments.
The building offers transparency and interconnectivity between all spaces. The children ‘s learning is visible by highly qualified educators, leading to interactive positive connections throughout the day. There is ample space for quiet observation of children without interrupting their work.
A dedicated work room is provided for development of documentation and provocational material, which is central to the Reggio approach.
The open-ended design offers limitless potential and possibilities, and ample scope for meeting the differing needs of different age groups in the building.
The high degree of interconnectivity also fosters a sense of community; children can be aware of other groups in the centre without disrupting each other ‘s work.
The design allows parts of the floor area to be temporarily dedicated to projects in progress while still allowing safe and unimpeded movement.
The Reggio notion of Piazza has been developed in the St Peters ELC as a sequence of spaces consisting of a new Shared space connecting the new and existing buildings and a Verandah that wraps around the front of the building and flows into the Shared space.
These spaces serve as learning spaces in their own right but also provide forums for interaction between different groups of children. The Shared Space also acts as a place of arrival and interface for parents and carers. The Verandah serves both for learning and also gathering and eating, continuing an existing well established theme at the centre.