Officer Secondary College
Project Details
Architects
ClarkeHopkinsClarke
Award
Winner Category 1: New Construction: Entire New School
Address
1 Parker Street, Officer, Victoria, 3809
Submitter
Wayne Stephens
Cost
$27,120,126
Project Overview
Officer Secondary College provides contemporary learning spaces that support the College’s personalised pedagogical approach, accommodate technology enabled and differentiated learning experiences, generate strong community connections, and shape a vibrant, truly community integrated learning environment. The College was designed to create a welcoming and iconic identity within the community.
Jury Citation
Exceptional master planning of the Officer Secondary College supports the approach of strong community connections through display of multiple entries and articulated forms generating a series of ‘connected communities’. General, specialist, and community based program elements have been carefully sited, and the importance of in-between spaces has been fully considered. The crisp, vibrant, and confident exterior and spatial dexterity of the interior welcomes wider community utilisation, increasing the social sustainability of this overall vision. The materials palette balances the need for robustness with a sense of fun through playful use of materials and collaborative settings.
A diversity of learning modalities supports student-centred learning with an abundance of choices provided both internally and externally. The distinctive entry, colour selections, fractured landscapes, performance spaces, volumes, and general spatial agility all support transitions from theoretical to practical spaces and student-centred learning. Visible collaborations at the head of the stair are in-keeping with the personalised pedagogical approach. Various textures and material changes are included whilst retaining spatial clarity and purpose.
The inclusion of simple yet informative learning setting planning diagrams is commended. Such considered planning and consultation has ensured that the learning environment responds to the diversity of secondary needs at various scales.
The project team is congratulated for such a holistically considered outcome, from master plan through to the detailed execution of the entire learning environment. We are convinced that the school community will benefit immensely from the attention to detail that has informed both macro and micro ideas.
Located in a rapidly developing outer suburb in Melbourne’s south east, Officer Secondary College is designed to build strong community connections, and provide technology enabled, differentiated learning environments that support personalised, student-centred learning.
The design features differentiated learning spaces across a double-storey layout to encourage increased collaboration between students and team teaching among staff. Each of the six learning community includes a diversity of spaces to support different modes of learning, including large collaborative spaces that can accommodate up to 50 students together with informal, social and creative learning areas. The design enables teachers to move through the spaces throughout the day, utilising the areas most suited to the varied learning needs of their students. The learning spaces effectively promote creativity and innovative teaching, and enable collaborative practice and team teaching so that learning is personalised and all students are prepared to become members of the global community.
The College campus incorporates a Specialty Building, specifically designed for teaching science, art and materials technology, supports diverse programs including those that require a combination of activities, allowing students to transition between theoretical and practical activities during a single teaching session. The College also features a central Administration and Multipurpose Community Hub, which houses administration offices, a dedicated resource centre, and a range of multipurpose areas which are shared with the Specialist School adjacent and the local community. Developed in collaboration with Cardinia Shire Council, the Administration and Multipurpose Community Hub has been designed as the iconic main entry of the College and the education precinct as a whole, and provides a range of facilities designed to be used by the College and Specialist School during class hours, and opened for authorised community use on afternoons and weekends. The Hub includes an indoor multipurpose 3 court stadium, a performing arts space that can be converted into a performance space or a series of practice rooms, and kitchen and barista facilities.
Officer Secondary College provides contemporary learning spaces that support the College’s personalised pedagogical approach, generate strong community connections, and shape a vibrant, truly community integrated learning environment.
