Northern Adelaide Senior College Redevelopment
Project Details
Architects
Swanbury Penglase Architects
Address
2 Woodford Road Elizabeth South Australia 5112
Submitter
Department for Education and Child Development
Project Overview
The project delivered new accommodation comprising of general learning areas, arts classrooms, computer suites, a family learning centre and crèche function, staff offices and necessary associated facilities. It also catered for shared facilities between TAFE and Northern Adelaide Senior College which comprised of a resource centre learning hub, flexible learning spaces, learning support, student common areas and administration.
The redeveloped facility caters for up to 550 full time students.
The relocation of the Northern Adelaide Senior College (NASC) to a new site was the outcome of years of lobbying to establish a purpose-designed facility that would best support the delivery of NASC’s specialist adult educational and support programs. These programs and services assist students to improve their employment prospects and life skills and ultimately to participate more fully in the local community on both social and economic levels.
The facility design required a fresh examination of student needs and a purpose-designed response that departed from the traditional school model. The challenge was the need to accommodate this within an existing and inflexible building structure. The existing building was constructed in the late 1970s and is of solid concrete and masonry construction with reinforced concrete columns supporting post-tensioned concrete floors.
A considered and innovative design response was necessary to deliver on the aspirational goals for the facility to provide an open and transparent environment that was flexible to allow for the diverse program needs. This was realised by providing a range of classroom sizes and utilising operable walls to allow the school to customise spaces to suit the teaching program and class size. Spill-off spaces also provided an extension to the formal teaching areas to address the brief requirements for informal peer-to-peer learning.
Specialist facilities were also incorporated in the redevelopment which included a crèche, kitchen, midwifery clinic and counselling offices enabling the delivery of family, health and community support programs within the learning environment.
NASC is pleased with the engagement from staff and students and have reported a discernible “buzz of activity” throughout. Students are utilising the opportunities to interact and work together in the open common areas. A truly great outcome for the school.
