Edithvale Childrens Centre
Project Details
Architects
Paul Hede Design Architect
Address
122 Edithvale Road Edithvale
Cost
6,950,000
Project Overview
This new children’s/community service adjoining a sports area. It offers contact for families with Maternal and Child Health through to health education, immunisation, playgroups, community meetings, long day care and kindergarten. It reinvigorates a 1950’s poorly provisioned suburb and connects children to lifelong learning and friendships via local sports activities.
This unique project includes a children’s centre, on the same site as a sporting pavilion and sports ovals.
The building was wedged between a major road and a velodrome and offers kindergarten and childcare over 2 levels with community rooms, playgroup and maternal and child health services. It is a community hub for a suburb in transition.
The spaces interconnect via a child led central resource area atelier and kitchen/dining. The building features a cantilevered 1st floor which provides sun protected staff preparation areas and external play for younger children.
The building uses steel and coloured perforated mesh to provide an active façade that offers children an exciting set of spaces. A tree and garden in the 1st floor play area are catered for in a leg to take tree roots and drainage. Children enjoy curved connected space elevated and connected to sporting facilities they use via a large safe access ramp. The perimeter walls have a range of learning spaces for sitting, lying, storing and watching the outside
All water is collected, together with water from an adjoining wetland, and recycled for use in the buildings toilets. The landscape brings gardens, vegetable patches, trees and logs to both ground and first floor play.
Staff spaces are shared to encourage interaction between all staff and user groups. The client brief requested interconnecting rooms in the long day care area based on a philosophy of multi-aging ie: children grouped with siblings.
