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