Westgarth Primary School was founded in 1924 shortly before the Great Depression, since the early 1970’s the school has been spilt across both Clarke Street and Brooke Street sites. Located in an inner northern suburb of Melbourne the school is popular with local families and the site is a well-used asset to the local community out of hours.

Law Architects were engaged by the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) to complete an Asset Management plan, assessing the existing facilities and identifying future projects as part of a masterplan.

Working in close collaboration with the school, it became clear that the school required a full-size gymnasium to serve its growing cohort, as well as new learning spaces. 

The design was developed to open up the heart of the campus, address drainage issues and provide a considered street facing presence, balancing the large form of the gymnasium within the predominantly residential streetscape. The learning spaces are raised to the first floor, allowing for future infill below through later projects, these spaces are set back from the street responding to and framing views of a prominent native tree being retained, giving the feeling of learning in a tree house.

The new project delivers competition grade sporting facilities, the ability for the school to gather in a large group and cutting-edge contemporary learning spaces whilst opening up the heart of the campus with new central play and court spaces for both students and the local community alike.

The project is currently under construction.

Avila College is a Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) girls’ college located in Mount Waverley, established in 1965. The college is committed to continuous school improvement, academic excellence and holistic student wellbeing as the underpinning philosophies of its 2019 physical masterplan, co-created with Law Architects.

Law Architects were engaged to continue their collaborative working relationship with the college through the design & delivery of a new Welcome & Administration Building. This new project is the realisation of the third stage of works identified in the current masterplan, and follows the completed stage two Ballygriffin Senior Learning Centre project delivered in 2022.

Working in close collaboration with the college and MACS, the design of the new building was developed to replace the existing administration and reception facilities, located deep within the heart of the campus; seamlessly adding additional layers of security, functionality and accessibility; an improved street presence and welcoming first impression to all visitors to the college. The new Welcome & Administration Building provides contemporary facilities for staff over two levels and includes a state of the art all electric food technology centre which will harness the latest in commercial and educational health and safety and equipment.

The materiality of the Welcome and Administration Building responds to the Ballygriffin design and surrounding landscape whilst maintaining its own distinctly Catholic spirit of hospitality and welcome. The design reinforces both the Catholic and unique identity of the college with integrated stained glass artwork and landscape design complementing the considered architectural response.

Bayside Community Sports Centre is a joint venture between Sandringham College (VSBA) and Bayside City Council.

Located on Sandringham College’s Holloway Road campus, the Community Sports Precinct together with the new High Performance Centre provides 3 x indoor competition netball courts, 1 x outdoor covered competition netball court and 7 outdoor courts, including all associated amenities and support facilities. In addition, the existing school oval has been fully refurbished for community sports including cricket, AFL and soccer. The centre is an excellent example of a successful joint venture that ensures best use of expansive school grounds for maximum benefit to the whole Bayside community. The project was undertaken in collaboration with multiple stakeholders including Bayside City Council, VSBA, Sandringham College and Southern Districts Netball Association.

The project design capitalises on the expansive site, dispersing the large building forms with the introduction of the entry COLA (covered outdoor learning area) and outdoor COLA to create a human scale rhythm across the vast street frontage.

Photography: Gallant Lee

Overall Winner - 2023 Learning Environments Australasia Victorian & Tasmanian Chapter Awards

Winner - New Building/s or Facilities - Small 2023 Learning Environments Australasia Victorian & Tasmanian Chapter Awards

The Ballygriffin Learning Centre, predominantly for Year 11 and 12 students, is a contemporary learning building acting as the locus for furthering Avila College’s vision for teaching and learning.

Student centred from the outset of design, it is a healthy and diverse ecosystem of settings – multiple adjoining zones, porous to the outdoors, and highly connected across 2 levels - it supports student agency and choice on where and how to work, connect, or collaborate. The spaces offer students a new way to see themselves as learners and invite them to light the way as emerging adults.

Photography: Peter Clarke Photography

Winner Best School Project Between $5 Million and $15 Million - 2024 Victorian School Design Awards

Beginning with a masterplan, the vibrant and diverse community of St Kilda Primary School now inhabit a new two-storey learning building on the prominent north-west corner site along Brighton Rd. The ‘Nozomi’ building (meaning ‘hope’, in acknowledgement of the school’s Japanese program) comprises sixteen open-plan learning areas that are split into 4 clusters across two levels to provide modern and flexible learning neighbourhoods to a school that was largely restricted to traditional classrooms.
Sited between the esteemed St Kilda Town Hall and the School’s own heritage-listed gothic-style ‘Main Block’, the learning building celebrates the heritage gable form of its existing buildings in the new north-south staggered extrusion.
A double-height east-facing covered deck bounded by a full-height green wall. This provides shade and contributes to the sustainability initiatives of the design and also protects the building and playful external stair and two storey slide from oval ball-sports. Further, additional green wall elements, protected outdoor learning areas and landscaping areas abound the building’s perimeter.

The second stage of the project involved careful renovation and refurbishment of the existing 1920’s heritage listed building which houses administration, staffrooms and art & music classrooms. With significant structural walls and columns, reconfiguration was limited to small interventions that allowed for better flow through the building and more practical use of large and small spaces.

Photography: Derek Swalwell

Mickleham Primary School was established in 1871 as State School No 1051, and is now part of Melbourne’s Northern growth corridor. The school has undergone substantial changes over the past decade, especially, as the surrounding area – once primarily farmland – is transformed into housing estates.

While the school’s catchment population increased rapidly, the campus evolved with little consideration for permanent infrastructure or buildings. Prior to this recent redevelopment, the school's facilities comprised the original bluestone school building, a few low-quality buildings, and various relocatable structures from different eras.

Law was engaged to modernise and expand Mickleham Primary School while preserving its historical assets. We developed a masterplan to guide the comprehensive overhaul of the entire site, including the acquisition of some of the surrounding land.

As well as meeting the school’s brief for a growing student body and the need for contemporary facilities, the masterplan enabled the school to continue to operate throughout the staged construction process. It also responded to additional complexities arising from the timing and delivery of new local roads and infrastructure, currently under construction to service new adjacent housing developments.

We re-oriented the school campus away from busy main roads and connected to the new residential streets. This not only enhanced safety but also transformed the school’s outdoor spaces into a communal asset for local residents.

We also engaged with the local Indigenous community, and their input strengthened our design in terms of connection to place and identity. For example, concrete paving was imprinted with local plants and animal prints, and building names were derived from local totems.

The school’s first phase is now complete. It includes three new buildings, the repositioning of two relocatable buildings, a new carpark, site infrastructure, and extensive landscaping. The three new buildings comprise an administration building – which also houses the library, science facilities and art spaces – and two learning neighbourhoods, consisting of 16 flexible general learning areas. The school can now comfortably accommodate the growing local population with an expansion in overall permanent floor area of 3,340 square metres.

These new facilities are more energy efficient than the previous buildings, and generate power through roof-top solar arrays, providing ongoing running cost savings to the school.

The design also makes the most of the site’s mature trees – which determined the placement and orientation of the new buildings, with carefully designed glazing for physical and visual connections. This resulted in a series of indoor learning spaces that emphasize strong connections with the natural environment, and the provision of new green spaces and natural landscaping enhance opportunities for outdoor learning.

Our redevelopment sequence enabled the school to decant into the new facilities prior to the second construction phase. Now complete, the school is able to cater to the emerging local neighbourhoods with new buildings and land is transformed into a modern place for students to learn, grow and thrive.

Photography: Drew Echberg

Commendation - Modernisation - Small 2023 Learning Environments Australasia Victorian & Tasmanian Chapter Awards

This thoughtful refurbishment at St Therese’s School emerged from our masterplan and has revitalised the East and North Buildings within a challenging budget and working with the existing primary structure. This was utilised to cleverly divide learning areas, create cut outs in the spatial volume, craft nooks, and create new connections to neighbouring areas. Library resources have been de-centralised to allow adjacent access from the relevant learning streams. Flexible and Specialist learning areas have access to atelier spaces, with an extension to an outdoor learning area. Existing classrooms were re-modelled for greater flexibility and easy expansion to breakouts as needed. Glazing infiltrates the plan with natural light and visually connects learning groups. Each stream group cluster has a diverse range of learning settings, including a space that can close for complete acoustic isolation. Learning areas are coupled, allowing two groups to combine, yet all areas can open for a grand whole-of-level central gathering.

Photography: Peter Clarke Photography

Concord School is a Victorian government Prep-Year 12 specialist school for students with additional learning needs, with a junior primary campus located in Watsonia, and the rest of the school located in Bundoora. This project is based at their Bundoora campus, where the original buildings were established in the 1970s.

It sees the partial demolition of dated, worn stock and removal of some relocatable buildings, to be replaced with a contemporary, 2-storey Middle & Senior Learning Building, and opening the centre of the campus to create an active, secure play space, that forms the “heart” of the campus.

Law Architects previously delivered a new Food Technology/Canteen/learning facility at the school in 2019 and were further engaged to continue their collaborative working relationship with the school through a masterplan for modernisation in 2021, followed by the design & delivery of this new Middle/Senior Learning Building.

The new facility took its cues from the Food Technology/Canteen Building, sharing in its exterior materials palette while remaining distinct in its design. It contains modern, comfortable and flexible learning environments, supported with breakout and withdrawal spaces – improved visual and physical connections between learning spaces. The interior materials palette provides a tangible sense of calm upon entering the building, as well as two different colour schemes providing a sense of unique identity to each floor.

The new facility delivers energy efficiency and therefore ongoing cost savings, improved security, inclusivity and amenity in the campus heart, better passive surveillance throughout, improved connections to outdoor learning environments, and enhanced connectivity across the campus. Law Architects designed to avoid overshadowing of neighbouring buildings, incorporate passive solar features, and reduce the “heat island” effect with integrated landscaping and planting that will grow up to shield the building from the western sun.

Continuing our long-standing relationship with Damascus College in Ballarat, Law Architects delivered Stage 6 of the college masterplan – with the Damascus Events Centre, which opened in 2021. This building is a strategic addition to the college’s campus, facilitating its commitment to community connection, learning and leading.

Located at the front of its campus, the Events Centre provides Damascus College with a more than 1500 sq.m. venue for up to 450 people, in which to offer hospitality for community gatherings, formal dinners, school assemblies, musical performances, and a comfortable examination space. This venue is complemented by an adjoining commercial kitchen, servery, bar, and foyer spaces.

Law Architects took advantage of the sloping site, enabling spectacular Mount Clear views from within the events space, as well as tucking another storey of support spaces - offices, college archives and a uniform shop – underneath it.

While purpose-designed for school and community use, Law Architects built in a flexibility and agility to the space that support even more events and learning activities than originally briefed. Even the college staff have noticed the space being utilised for even more functions than originally anticipated. As such, the potential of this venue to accommodate any type of event has already been realised.

Responding to the local bushfire overlay, Law Architects seamlessly integrated this building into the campus’ bush environment, harmonising it with the other campus architecture, putting a strong emphasis on durability and sustainability. We incorporated a central climate control system, powered by roof mounted solar generation that saves the college on ongoing energy costs

Law Architects specified high performing acoustic treatments to the events space, pairing them with comprehensive audio-visual and lighting systems that allow for maximum flexibility. We enhanced the architectural lighting system with stage lighting, which can provide a full colour wash across the entire venue or focus spotlights on speakers, performers or tables at dinner events.

Photography: Drew Echberg

Winner - Learning Environments Australasia Awards 2022 for new Facility over $8M.

Special Mention - 2023 Architizer A+ Awards Primary & High Schools

We first facilitated a comprehensive masterplan that envisages seven stages of development across ten years and two separated campuses - Yirramboi (Keilor) and Canowindra (Taylors Lakes). The Stage 1 project emerging from the masterplan consolidates two middle schools into one at the Keilor campus and two junior schools into one at the Taylors Lakes campus. Law Architects have completed both of the first two of these major undertakings.

The intensive review of the campuses culminated in a masterplanning strategy entailing a range of undertakings - including the construction of new buildings and judicious conversion or removal of select existing buildings; new landscape works and vehicular/ carparking interventions - staged over the next decade and beyond.

The staging of these has methodically taken into account the college’s most pressing needs with respect to curriculum, including difficulties arising from the Keilor site’s very steep topography, the practicalities of construction sequencing, and balancing the college’s forecast (and finite) finances, to ensure the proposed masterplan is a realistic and responsible plan for the future.

Crucially this wide-ranging extent of the masterplan has enabled the college to promote the most immediate of these works as part of a deeply considered strategy which seeks to successfully address shortcomings and achieve a genuinely connected and high-functioning campus.

At Yirramboi, for Yrs 5-8, this has involved a new Learning Hub building and refurbishment of the existing middle school buildings to accommodate 390 students and associated services including a canteen and activated landscape areas (pictured). The program and siting of this building seeks to consolidate a relatively isolated fringe of the campus into a ‘middle college’ precinct in its own right, whilst also enabling future connections further down the steep site to currently undeveloped areas.
Enabling works required to complete the project included first the refurbishment of the middle school buildings and removal/relocation of portables to enable both temporary accommodation and the completion of the works.

Canowindra now has a new single storey building to accommodate 432 students in Years Prep, 1 & 2, mindful of integration with a planned refurbishment of the existing middle school building to accommodate 288 students in Years 3 & 4.

Photography: Dianna Snape

We first facilitated a comprehensive masterplan that envisages seven stages of development across ten years and two separated campuses - Yirramboi (Keilor) and Canowindra (Taylors Lakes). The Stage 1 project emerging from the masterplan consolidates two middle schools into one at the Keilor campus and two junior schools into one at the Taylors Lakes campus. Law Architects have completed both of the first two of these major undertakings.

The intensive review of the campuses culminated in a masterplanning strategy entailing a range of undertakings - including the construction of new buildings and judicious conversion or removal of select existing buildings; new landscape works and vehicular/ carparking interventions - staged over the next decade and beyond.

The staging of these has methodically taken into account the college’s most pressing needs with respect to curriculum, including difficulties arising from the Keilor site’s very steep topography, the practicalities of construction sequencing, and balancing the college’s forecast (and finite) finances, to ensure the proposed masterplan is a realistic and responsible plan for the future.

Crucially this wide-ranging extent of the masterplan has enabled the College to promote the most immediate of these works as part of a deeply considered strategy which seeks to successfully address shortcomings and achieve a genuinely connected and high-functioning campus.

At Yirramboi, for Yrs 5-8, this has involved a new Learning Hub building and refurbishment of the existing middle school buildings to accommodate 390 students and associated services including a canteen and activated landscape areas. The program and siting of this building seeks to consolidate a relatively isolated fringe of the campus into a ‘middle college’ precinct in its own right, whilst also enabling future connections further down the steep site to currently undeveloped areas. Enabling works required to complete the project included first the refurbishment of the middle school buildings and removal/relocation of portables to enable both temporary accommodation and the completion of the works.

Canowindra now has a new single storey building to accommodate 432 students in Years Prep, 1 & 2, mindful of integration with a planned refurbishment of the existing middle school building to accommodate 288 students in Years 3 & 4.

Photography: Peter Clarke Photography

W.I.L.D - Wonder, Immerse, Learn & Discover. Four key words that encapsulate the Catholic Ladies’ College (CLC) vision for a new year 9 and technology building. The WILD building is Stage 1 of CLC’s 2019 Law Architects masterplan and is the first new build on the campus in over a decade. Located in leafy green Eltham, CLC sits nestled amongst the trees, bordered on the east by diamond creek. The WILD building aims to take advantage of the college’s unique topography, creating a strong connection to landscape; Learning areas sit amongst the tree canopy, withdrawal spaces spill out into covered areas, encouraging a fluid learning experience both inside and out.

As part of six new state schools developed in collaboration with Thomson Adsett, Law Architects delivered the Kirrip Community Centre for the City of Whittlesea in partnership with the Victorian School Building Authority.

Located in the growth corridor of Melbourne’s northern region, this facility is integral to the new educational precinct comprising of Wollert Primary School and the adjacent Wollert Secondary College. We facilitated this integration by orienting the community centre entry towards the primary school and a shared driveway off de Rossi Boulevard, enabling a single point of drop off for parents and carers of young children.

Within tight budgetary constraints, Law Architects were able to incorporate multiple consulting suites and maternal and child health suites, three kindergarten rooms supporting nearly 100 children aged 4-5, a commercial training kitchen/café, a 200sq.m hall, various community meeting rooms, and landscaped outdoor areas.

With design emphases on sustainability, green spaces and the natural landscape, we selected natural and raw building materials to blend with the landscape and minimise long-term maintenance. We also incorporated roof-mounted solar panels to reduce the ongoing running costs for the centre.

Law Architects carefully crafted the internal spaces to exude a sense of warmth and invitation, achieved through the meticulous curation of materials and finishes. In response to the diverse needs of the local community, we also incorporated a wudu, or foot-washing facility, into the new centre to cater for their Muslim population.

Opened in 2022, the Kirrip Community Centre stands as a vital local resource for the burgeoning, dynamic and diverse community in Wollert, offering a range of essential services and support to all its residents.

Photography: Gallant Lee

‘New Schools Bundle A 2022’ is a collaboration between Law Architects and Thomson Adsett to design 5 new primary schools in the outer northwest growth corridor suburbs of Wollert, Melton, Kalkallo, Gisbourne and Deanside.

For 3 of these primary schools, an early learning centre or community hub was also provided in partnership with the local Council.

Masterplanning commenced in August 2019 and the schools were delivered for the commencement of the school year in 2022.

The buildings were designed as template facilities for maximum efficiency and project delivery. This required informed and visionary decision making at the very early stages of masterplanning with a wholistic appreciation of the constraints of the differing constraints and possible future unknowns.

These new schools were developed without a staff cohort but with an experienced team, expert in learning settings and a deep understanding of pedagogy. The planning of each building was driven from the inside out, with a building envelope flexible enough for multiple adaptations, including inclusive school space allocations

The buildings were conceived to allow for flexible orientation yet maintain best practice thermal performance and daylighting for varying sites. A suite of building techniques and details were developed to aid in the speed and ease of construction without compromising the spatial & design quality of each facility.

Central to the design of the built environment was the project team’s collective desire to engage the landscape at every moment. So often new schools become a sea of concrete and asphalt and this was deliberately avoided for this project by locating garden beds strategically close to the buildings such that every window looking out has direct visual (and often physical) access to the green-scape outside.

The efficiency of the project design & detailing enabled full inclusion of tender options which included maximum solar PV capacity across all building roofs, density and mature sizes of plantings, full joinery & furniture fit-out and fully developed external play spaces.

The project was delivered on time and on budget in January 2022.

Photography: Chris Matterson Photography

WOODLEIGH SCHOOL SENIOR HOMESTEAD 4

We continue our successful long-standing partnership with The Woodleigh School in Langwarrin South, having designed their music building at the primary school campus at Minimbah, in Mt Eliza and then collaborated with the school to ‘re-imagine’ the Homesteads.

This is the 3rd Stage of the Homestead program of works.

Built in the 1970’s, the original 6 'Homesteads' nestled in the bush have formed the core of student life and are the focus of a redevelopment program currently well underway.

The multi-award winning 1st Stage, involving 3 Homesteads can be seen here.

The 2nd Stage can be found here.

Photography: We Shoot Buildings

Law Architects were chosen by St Paul’s Lutheran Congregation to assist them in their project to move from the existing Box Hill location to a revitalised former St James Uniting Church - a newly purchased, uninhabited and heritage listed building. an important evolution for the congregation, the move provides an opportunity for co-location of other facets of the Lutheran community and the creation of a welcoming gathering and community space. We were chosen in part for our liturgically sensitive and functionally coherent modernisation of St Benedict’s Catholic Church Burwood and our respectful treatment of its heritage listed value, for which we won an award.

The church itself offers a compelling and enduring modernist presentation but was in need of significant revitalisation while respecting its inherent aesthetic value and wonderful use of wood. The functional purposes of the other facilities demand a full use of the site whilst preserving an amenity and aesthetic language that remains consistent with its spiritual purpose. The design progressed with an intimate and collaborative involvement of the congregation’s representative committee to ensure a translation of their aspirations for a place of gathering and worship.

Photography: Drew Echberg

The Miriam Performing Arts Centre at Our Lady of Sion College bears testament to the extensive consultation process with a diverse range of user groups. This ongoing community engagement was paramount, and with the involvement of specialist acoustic engineers, theatre and audiovisual consultants the result is a building that successfully reflects this three-way dialogue, ensuring the multiplicity of day and night uses and variety of moods imagined at its inception were realised.
The significant move towards visually connected learning enables teachers to engage with the challenges and joys of contemporary learning spaces and have elevated their ability to engage with conversations about 'space'. The early decision to actively engage with all adjoining uses in the tight setting has resulted in every possible corner being used to full effect. Yet it does so without creating a visual and physical barrier to all adjacent spaces. 
The layout and flexibility of the building facilitate timetable challenges and allow spaces to interact with each other as well as ensuring multiple spaces can be used concurrently. Regular classes, rehearsals, intimate performances, presentations, assemblies, large scale productions as well as gatherings and daily  school cafe operation can co-exist and transition seamlessly.
The material palette is modern and contemporary yet timeless, professional and elegant, and ensure the moods within the spaces can be readily adapted to suit small and large scale daily use and performance.  Natural light has been sought at every opportunity, minimizing the need for artificial lighting, and the acoustic quality and separation between spaces further demonstrate the multidimensional success of the building.
Many of the college's ensembles, choirs and soloists now have the opportunity to perform in an on-campus professional venue where they are given a proper feel for the real-world and professional level musicians and actresses, thus further inspiring their own ambitions and greater learning.

A radical re-imagination of existing conditions.

The client’s brief was to re-imagine the two top levels of the existing double brick 1960 building on top of Separation Street’s hill in Northcote and create a new “village” for the younger students – classes 7 and 8 - joining the Santa Maria College community. The new space had to include a total of 14 learning spaces, 2 staff rooms (one per level) and communal spaces/break-out areas for collaborative working.

The existing conditions consisted of a total of 7 classrooms and one staff room, configured in a series of rectangular rooms divided by a central corridor. The results were very dark and disconnected spaces that did not allow for any type of learning other than the traditional rows.

The internal space of the two existing levels have been radically reorganized, by demolishing all the internal partitions and increasing the floor plates via extending the building both on the east and north side. The old concrete floor between level 1 and 2 has been partially demolished to give space to the new heart of the village: a double volume area, surrounded by multiple spaces for aggregation, where a sculptural stair physically and visually links the two levels of the village, enhancing the sense of community and connection that the client was aspiring to.

The new learning spaces, 7 per level, are fluidly designed around the new central “plaza”, retaining a high level of visibility throughout the all building thanks to transparent partitions. The learning areas features glazed operable walls that connect the rooms in enfilade, allowing a more flexible use of the spaces. A subtle use of curved internal wall junctions softens the paths of travel throughout the new facility.

Photography: John Gollings

Winner of several significant awards as acknowledgement of providing an innovative vision beyond the initial brief and working with multiple stakeholders in the leadership required to deliver something new and valuable.

• The inaugural Melbourne Award from the City of Melbourne for Urban Design.

• Joint overall winner of the 13th Annual Learning Environments Australasia Awards for Excellence in Educational Facilities and also the winner in Category 4 - educational facilities which have been renovated or modernised to a value over AUD $5 Million.

• Winner of a named Award - the Joseph Reed award for Urban Design in the 2020 Victorian Architecture Awards from the Australian Institute of Architects.

• Victorian School Design Awards, Winner of Best School Project above $10M 2020

For a pictorial tour of the design’s evolution, with sound bites from the school kids and stakeholders: https://youtu.be/UcSfAlbjLsA

This project is the first in the City of Melbourne (CoM), working together with the Victorian School Building Authority and Our Place ( formerly the Colman Foundation ), to combine Early Learning, Family Services, Community Hub and a primary school into an existing school site, embracing a ‘whole of early years’ approach to health, well-being and education so families can connect from birth through primary school.

Its signature element is the Covered Outdoor Learning Area (COLA). The initial brief called for a gym that would block the corner and be more expensive. The COLA liberated budget to spend refurbishing and re-configuring the school to enable modern learning and teaching opportunities. It has transformed a prominent but plain and underutilised school site into an educational, social and urban design model for inner city learning and communities. It frames the corner entry, creating a green, permeable connection with the street, transforming the school’s identity, and positively engaging with its urban environment and broader community.

Built from remnants of the 1970s Housing Commission flats, the three-storey building was extensively reconfigured to modernise and raise its profile within an area impacted by 'white flight'. The welcoming forecourt on the corner of Rathdowne & Palmerston Streets leads to a single point of entry and shared front door, bringing a simple message of equity and unity. The ground floor integrates an Early Learning Centre, Family Services and Community Hub with the school’s Art, Music and Food Technology spaces, enabling families to connect from birth through primary school.

Extensive investigation and design has gone not just into accommodating and connecting all required facilities and stakeholders, but working within the existing structure and services, including upgrading, replacing, repurposing and strengthening throughout. Existing conditions have been used as ‘opportunities’, creating a variety of different learning environments, nooks/withdrawals, community facility opportunities, numerous wet/cooking studios, flexible gathering spaces and much needed covered external areas.

Photography: Dianna Snape

Photographs by Drew Echberg

The highest accolade awarded in each category of the Australian Institute of Architects (Vic) is a 'named award'.

At the 2018 awards ceremony we were awarded such an honour for our Interior Architecture - the Marion Mahony Award - for the renewal of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Deepdene.

We are so grateful to our client, the hard working members of our team and the architecture community.

The construction of the new gathering area and the considerable refurbishment of the church aimed to bring the place of worship into line with more recent liturgical and theological renewal.

The new gathering room is symbolically and conveniently placed between the church and the OLGC Primary School, with the intention of increasing and cementing the meeting opportunity within the school and parish community.

The new wing also offers a welcoming street frontage as a symbol of renewal to the wider population. 

The design approach aims to acknowledge the significance of the existing building. The new interventions are clearly identifiable thanks to the use of semi-precious metals and contemporary construction systems, while the breadth of the new spaces create continuity with the scale of the church.

The desire for a renewed layout of the church, that would include and increase the participation of the parishioners during the Liturgy, has led to the decision of bringing the Sanctuary towards the congregation. The Altar, the Baptismal Font, the Tabernacle, the Ambo, the Presidial Chair, designed and realized by the artist Matt Harding,  are located along or at the crossing of the Basilica’s axes, generating a sense of order within the parts of the Liturgy and enhancing a continuous visual relationship with the congregation. 
The Sanctuary has been conceived as a unified element with the Altar and the rood screen, through a process of close cooperation with the artist Matt Harding.  Its rocky appearance symbolises the climbing of the Golgotha towards the Resurrection, and its organic shape, also generated by the primary axes of the plan, invites the parishioners to approach the center of the Liturgy. The pew-chairs, specifically designed by Law Architects for this space, allow a semi-circular seating layout around the Sanctuary, and enhance the sense of communion for the congregation. 
The Morning Chapel is located in the Choir, where tiered seats continue the narrative of the Sanctuary and, together with loose chairs, create a flexible space for morning mass and meetings with students of the adjacent school. The Apse is now the space dedicated to the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel. The votive chapel is physically and visually linked to the morning chapel, while the tiered seats provide a more intimate and protected space for quieter moments of prayer in front of the Marian image. 

Photography: Drew Echberg

The Woodleigh School in Langwarrin South is an Independent school with a particular emphasis on progressive curriculum, where teaching and learning takes place within a sustainable natural environment.

Built in the 1970’s, the 6 'homesteads' nestled in the bush form the core of student life and are the focus of a redevelopment project currently underway. Our brief was to ‘re-imagine’ the homesteads, and we have now completed the first 3 of 6 in this stage.

The project has recently been awarded several significant awards:

International A4LE  Educational Facilities Awards 2016
-    Winner
A4LE  Australasia Educational Facilities Award 2016
-    Winner | Major Facility
-    Commendation | Education Initiative: A design solution for an innovative program Category
-    Commendation | Educational Landscape / Outdoor Learning Area Category
Australian Institute of Architects Awards 2016
-    Commendation | Educational Architecture Category
Architizer A+ Awards 2016
-    Winner People's Choice Award | Architecture +Learning  
-    Special Mention | Institutional: Primary & High Schools
-    Special Mention | Architecture + Landscape
Good Design Awards 2016
-    Winner | Selection Award | Architectural Design: Residential and Commercial Category
Interior Design Awards 2016
-    Commendation | Public Design Category
Australian Timber Design Awards 2016
-    Excellence in use of Australian Certified Timber

The school has also  been featured in 202020 Visions ‘Good Design Directory’ for 2016.

In planning and schematic design, we worked together with academics from Melbourne University and the School's leaders as well as workshopping and meeting regularly with both the Woodleigh students and staff.
We together aimed to challenge present thinking and establish a new working model, not only for current pedagogy but also for future, unknown ways of teaching and learning. 
The natural beauty of the campus combined with a myriad of local Council Planning overlays made for a challenging yet exciting project-in-motion.
With the school commitment to the natural environment, great emphasis was given to energy efficient and sustainable design, including orientation, material choice, cross-ventilation, solar & water catchment and consideration for limited impact on the surrounding natural environment.

Photography: Drew Echberg

Having designed the school's science facilities, we were invited to return for this project. The initial brief involved the word 'theatre', but few schools can justify dedicated theatres. During our consultation it became all about the stagecraft that supports performance and the community that sustains it. We researched and incorporated best practice evidenced in facilities in the U.S.A. and Europe. The result is intensely multifunctional in relation to curriculum and its capacity for community integration. It is a set of agile, reconfigurable spaces and facilities  - drama, dance, music, textiles, art, and food tech have been brought together from different points of the school to be co-located and to catalyse new permutations of learning. 
Existing buildings over 3 levels have been refurbished and integrated with the new, overcoming significant challenges of sustainable reuse and fire separation.  The live performances are supported by the industry of specialist sub-spaces adjacent and below - such as a textile studio, prop areas, a 'green room', art, music rehearsal and a dance studio - which can all provide amenable and immediate support to productions.
The theatre itself is a kind of a Transformer toy. The 400 seat venue, and can quickly reconfigure to respond to daily programming or the community need, by becoming a lecterned seminar space, a mirror wall dance studio, or drama rehearsal space at the same time. Meeting and learning areas double as audience gathering spaces. Audio-visual and control assets are flexible enough to service these areas once they are reconfigured.
The ground floor gathering areas include an inside partitioned multi-use space adjacent to catering facilities, and an external undercroft. These cater for community events in different weather, and are pre and post performance spaces.
The project has been an opportunity for renewal and declaration of presence and identity. The school's buildings had faced inwardly. This new elevated building now makes a confident and welcoming statement to existing and prospective students and parents. The main entrance to the school, its administration and reception areas, are part of the complex and now face the main street.
Conceptually, the theatre is based on the notion that a 'theatre is a shell, an ark, a porous carapace to define a space for the transient and intangible'. Yet this 'black box' is cracked open at back stage, where usually the world of the performance is enclosed by a wall. The notion of 'backstage' is subverted. An expansive corner window exposes the performance process to the street outside. From within it offers a big sky, stars, night lights, and views of the distant Dandenongs. It is intentionally dynamic, creating an edge that forces choices and a deeper engagement with the process of performance: How do I work with today's light? Do I reference the outside as metaphor in my performance? How does this change what I'm doing? Do I shut it out? Externally it suggests the creative functions within, its curving elements referencing theatre curtains bounding a space.  It is as if the theatre has been turned inside out - the curtains now framing the window and the view within and inviting an engagement from the street.

A new primary school with a construction budget of $10m, located on a greenfield site in the rapidly-expanding growth corridor of Tarneit in Melbourne’s south-west. Designated a “fast-tracked” project, the school was designed, documented and tendered within several months, calling for tight and professional co-ordination of our internal team and consultant colleagues. 
Key design priorities include highly-flexible collaborative learning areas, effective natural ventilation throughout all buildings and crucially, an emphasis on integrating the carefully-sited buildings with the surrounding landscape and play area scheme.
Opening in 2018 it initially accommodates 475 students, it will be able to meet further enrollment demands via the introduction of relocatable buildings (locations of which have been incorporated into the school’s masterplan).

Photography: Rhiannon Slatter

The Performing Arts & Technology Centre is a lighthouse facility for Viewbank College. A high achieving public secondary school in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Viewbank College has a strong performing arts legacy and required a facility that could both showcase their young talent and provide multiple flexible spaces for teaching & learning.

Located on a tight footprint of available land, the PAC creates a connected atrium to the technology centre, allowing for the co-location of arts & science into a single precinct. The facility includes:

• Music & Drama Department

• 350 seat theatre and backstage

• Foyer & associated amenities

• General purpose classrooms

• Materials Technology classroom

• Refurbishment of Art, Textiles, Vis Comm & Science spaces.

The theatre has been designed for maximum flexibility, and caters to the following configurations such that it can be timetabled to capacity throughout the school day:

• 350 seat theatre, stalls & balcony, stage, extended stage (orchestra) and bio box

• Back-of-house (greenroom) spaces utilize the Music & Drama classrooms with additional storage, lighting & makeup facilities

• 230 seat seminar space (balcony) that can be closed off from a 120 seat studio performance space (stalls) and run concurrently

• Conference centre or exam centre combining the stalls & foyer to allow for 150 seated guests

• Salon for small musical performances by combining the Music & Drama rooms.

Damascus is an example of a coherent and enduringly relevant master planning process.
In the mid 2000s Damascus College wished to consolidate from two campuses and in the face of competition renew its presence, identity and value proposition to the community. We undertook the master planning, and have walked with the College through 4 Stages of construction. 
In early 2017 we shall conduct a review and assist with a STEM and Performing Arts Precinct.

Completed stages:
Stage 1 New and refurbished Admin Centre, general and hospitality learning spaces
Stage 2 New Trade Centre, Staff work/lounge centre and science and arts learning spaces refurb.
Stage 3 New 2 Storey Yr. 9 Learning Community, Chapel, and new music and drama hub
Stage 4 Refurbishment of Yr. 7&8 learning hub into flexible general learning, collaborative breakout, withdrawal and connected office spaces. 

Northcote Childcare Centre was designed for our Client, Only About Children, whom we assisted in creating a modern yet homey and enriching place for children. Additionally, considerable thought has been expended in delivering a maximising use of both the site and the creation and configuration of spaces that help staff do their work efficiently.

Photography: The Sensory Professional

A new Catholic primary school located in the growing area of Sunbury. The project has been designed to be a flexible learning environment that changes and evolves as the school grows over the coming years. Simple construction techniques have been a key aspect to achieve the best value for a tight budget. Further to this the use of durable materials that require low maintenance will stand the test of time. The building has various areas that are designed to blur the line between the internal and external environment. Holy Trinity Stage 1 creates an inviting gateway for the future development of the school.

Pembroke Primary School is a small public school located in Mooroolbark, Victoria. The School was granted $2.5 million to upgrade their teaching and learning facilities and in particular, to enhance their student engagement and inclusion strategy.

We began with a comprehensive Master Planning process. The school has a diverse student population with a high proportion of recent refugees from Myanmar. Key to the success of the project has been consultation and community engagement throughout all stages of the design process.

The proposed facilities include a new administration & reception area that creates a welcoming new ‘face’ for the school. Three new flexible learning areas are provided and a ‘Sanctuary’ building which allows multi-purpose activities such as art, cooking, science & discovery to be undertaken where a school of this size does not warrant specialised spaces. Significant outdoor learning spaces set amongst landscaped swales and vegetable gardens create the heart of the school for a community that values and feels at home in the natural environment. The project has been an opportunity for renewal and declaration of presence and identity, but also re-establishing a dialogue with the local community.

Photography: Tom Roe

The generative element of the new spaces at St Benedict’s is the Tabernacle, which visually permeates and unifies the two principal worship areas (the main Church and the Morning Chapel). It was designed by Martina Tempestini from our office. The glare from the existing western glazed wall is placated by the new perforated façade; the fragmented light is now conveyed towards the floating golden “butterflies”. Together with the Tabernacle, they define an ellipse whose foci are the Eucharist Custody itself and the centre of the Crucifix. The geometrical construction, inspired by Rublev’s Icon of the Trinity, is a reference to the Egg as Christian symbol of resurrection. The light, an emblem of rebirth and faith, is captured and reflected from the golden fragments to bathe the Crucifix. While conveying a sense of ascension, the “butterflies” taken together also symbolically remind us through their bent forms of the breaking of the body on the cross and the suffering endured. 

The renewal of St Benedict’s Church is part of the master plan developed by Law Architects in 2012 for St Benedict’s Parish Community. 
The changes aimed to bring the desired physical transformation to enhance the Parish’s unique identity, while respecting and acknowledging the significance of the building itself (designed by Stuart McIntosh & Alexander Harris in 1957 and heritage listed since 2014) for the extended community of the City of Whitehorse.

The northern and a southern brick wings constitute delicate annexes to the original edifice. The complete reorganization of the internal spaces has allowed us to achieve ampler worship areas for the enlarging Parish community, both in the main Church and in the Morning Chapel. Two sacristies, various private meeting rooms and a gathering and community space  - equipped with a kitchen - complete the works.

Re-establishing a sense of procession towards the centre of the Liturgy was a key point that guided the design. The spiritual journey begins outside in the elevated piazza, which is an external gathering space for the wider community, and continues through the well-defined and recognizable entry-foyer, leading to the Church nave and finally to the newly arranged Sanctuary. The nave’s axis has been rotated of 180 degrees from the original 1957 scheme and the former main entrances on the western side have been converted into two windows where sacral art is placed to engage with the community from the street frontage. The landscape creates a softer edge towards Warrigal road.
 

After a comprehensive 6 month strategic masterplanning process for the potential redevelopment of Mannix College, Clayton. Law Architects was invited back to commence design on a $15 million redevelopment.
One of the major challenges of the project was to design and manage construction works within a College that remained operational 24 hours a day. This led to innovative design solutions for building within and between existing residential dwellings and considerable care and consultation in programming the construction work and managing project costs.
Key to the success of this project was our ability to involve and guide multiple stakeholders through the design & construction process and assist in establishing the priorities for redevelopment in a College that had been untouched since the 1970’s. The project consists of: A new Academic Centre (including a Study Centre and Guest Accommodation). A new Chapel, flexible and reconfigurable into different sized congregation, seminar and conference facilities. New infill construction of Student Common Rooms & Tutorial spaces. Refurbishment of existing Dormitories, Administration areas and Dining facilities, and major services upgrades throughout the College.

This has revitalised the College's offer in the Student Accomodation market.

Drouin Secondary College is a semi-rural campus situated 95 kilometers south east of Melbourne that caters for students that come from a large geographical area.

The College was allocated $4,500,000 in capital works funding to provide students and teachers with 21 st century learning facilities.

The project involved careful masterplanning that considered the existing site conditions, staging of the works and ongoing site occupation to facilitate a new Learning Centre and Canteen pavilion to properly accommodate the projected future enrolment of 375 additional students.

The Learning Centre, located on the site of the old Canteen building, allows for gathering and a variety of flexible learning settings, consisting of seven General Learning Areas arranged around a central break out space.

The new Canteen pavilion is a new social heart for the school, with new amenity and covered areas, which are important for the West Gippsland climate.

Significant upgrades, re-distribution and staging of site services also formed part of the project scope which was delivered on time and under budget.

Brighton East Childcare Centre was designed for 140 places for our Client, Only About Children, whom we assisted in creating a modern yet homey and enriching place for children. Additionally, considerable thought has been expended in delivering a maximising use of both the site and the creation and configuration of spaces that help staff do their work efficiently.

Hawthorn Childcare Centre was designed for 120 places for our Client, Only About Children. Once again we have responded to their brand standards to create a complex of homey, rich and stimulating places for kids while delivering an amendable workplace. The site presented the opportunity of an existing large tree, which we worked hard to keep as part of the landscape. The site was worked hard in the investigation of design configurations for a maximal use of its potential.

Rounding out the College Masterplan developed by Law Architects in 2007, the Notre Dame Centre was born from a need to provide a designated adult learning environment for the students final years of school. Perched in the top corner of the school site, the centre is not only a visible acropolis to the younger aspiring students but also seeks to actively engage students and teachers both internally and externally through clever connections into adjacent buildings and spaces. Translating the school's sense of community and college cohesion played a prominent role in the brief and design, ensuring the spaces would "cultivate independent and collaborative learning as well as student wellbeing".

Previously housed in temporary relocatables, the Centre now provides senior students with a permanent double storey home base. Ground & First Floor learning spaces, formal study zones, teacher stations & informal gathering areas look inward to a central stair with double height atrium lit by two saw-tooth roof skylights above. Ground Floor tiered seating platforms under the skylights connect into the central stair & flow into an informal sunken amphitheatre. 

Two First Floor bridges key into existing adjacent buildings facilitating cross-year level integration. During VCE exams, First Floor learning areas open into one long exam space via a series of operable walls. A variety of study nooks set in & around the atrium & locker areas allow extended learning from formal teaching spaces as well as private study & social interactions. Off-street car parking, maintenance & utility spaces, and water conscious landscaping complete the project.

A Childcare centre designed for 135 places, yet focused on creating an intimate and homelike environment far removed from an institutional feel. The project included maximising the site with an attached residential dwelling.

A childcare centre in the centre of Melbourne. The project required a navigation of the requirements of centre management and the desire of our Client to create a human and healthy place for kids.

An award winning sustainability project, St Macartan’s Parish Primary School in Mornington involved the re-establishment of a 600+ student school onto a greenfield site. The new school’s focus is on the strong integration of its learning communities - five learning hubs nestled into the site connected by a central landscaped heart. The project began with masterplanning.

The spaces created at St Macartan’s have become “places”, with a high level of ownership offered to those who dwell within. A variety of spatial experiences can be had as the many ‘edges’ offer places to stop, reflect, engage and converse. The built environment incorporates a high degree of sustainable design features and was the recipient of the Catholic Education Sustainability Lighthouse Award in 2008. In 2009 it also received the Outstanding New College Award - High Commendation from the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) Vic. The architect’s role was extensive, including brief establishment, design, project cost control, furniture selection, landscape design and traffic management.

Photography: Robert Slater