Horsham Special School
Project Details
Architects
KNEELER DESIGN PL
Award
WINNER: CATEGORY 6: EDUCATIONAL LANDSCAPE / OUTDOOR LEARNING AREA
Address
17 HIGH STREET NORTH HORSHAM , VICTORIA 3402 Australia
Submitter
KNEELER DESIGN PL
Cost
$283, 553
Photographer
Silvi Glattauer
Project Overview
The central sensory courtyard provides a beautiful and safe environment for social interaction. Students of all ages,
as well as teachers, parents, and visitors from the wider community, gather here to socialise, engage, and learn.
Jury Citation:
The Sensory Courtyard at Horsham Special School, designed by Jeavons Landscape Architects in collaboration with Kneller Design and the school community was developed to enhance the student independence and celebrate their diverse abilities.
The courtyard provides a beautiful and safe environment for social interaction. Students of all ages, parents and visitors from the wider community gather here to socialise, engage and learn.
In developing the courtyard the architects worked with therapists and other staff to create a space which would provide a calming effect on the behaviour of children utilising texture, colours, scent and sounds in addition to spatial variety, thermal properties and movement.
The success of the courtyard is summed up by an extract from the School Principal in a supporting letter where she states
“We have another 15 year old student with Autism who is a selective mute. She had previously never spoken at any school she attended. Through the use of the sensory courtyard she has come out of her shell and spoken for the first time blossoming to answering questions and initiating speech to staff and others at the school.
The Sensory Courtyard at the Horsham Special School was designed by Jeavons Landscape Architects, who collaborated with Kneeler Design Architects (responsible for the design of the new school). The school landscape and outdoor play areas were designed after close engagement and consultation with the special school staff.
We wanted to create landscape experiences that stimulate, educate & evoke the senses.
Our design solutions engage children with a range of physical and intellectual abilities, individual special needs, varying social skills and levels of sensory integration, including children on the autism spectrum.
As a central and focal space in the school, the sensory courtyard has many functions:
•a strong visual element and orientation point for the school
•a quiet seating/respite area
•an outdoor teaching and learning area
•a space for lunch time seating
•a seating and meeting place for staff and parents
•indoor/outdoor social gatherings and functions
•a circulation route for students and staff moving between indoor spaces.
Above all of these, however, the space was designed to provide a highly sensory space to meet the specific needs of the children who have a variety of disabilities, and in particular for children on the autism spectrum.
