Providing a dynamic community for students, the award-winning The Geelong College Junior school has been designed with the surrounding environment front of mind.

Designed by John Wardle Architects, the creative draws upon the school’s pedagogies inspired in approach by the Reggio Emilia philosophy. A critical aspect of the approach considers the environment to be “the third teacher”.

The new school buildings are closely linked to the landscapes of the site and are shaped to provide the best amenity and outlook for students and staff. The zig-zag form allows south light into all the learning environments, promotes natural cross ventilation of the spaces, and provides expansive views across the playing fields.

With contemporary teaching methodologies guiding the design of these new spaces, the existing standalone classroom pavilions have been thoughtfully re-adapted into music and drama studios and a new multi-purpose room which will allow the whole school to gather.

Credit image: N Dunn Media

Credit image: N Dunn Media

The existing courtyards have beautifully landscaped, providing areas of play and are amplified by a performing arts precinct around them and the continuous veranda linking the classroom pavilion further promotes the outdoor spaces for learning and social play.

To ensure exceptional indoor comfort for students while reducing the energy consumption, our team designed a mixed mode ventilation in combination with heat recovery systems and high efficiency air-conditioning systems. The building utilizes a solar PV array to offset a large portion of its carbon footprint.

Roof drainage is captured and re-used for both irrigation and toilet flushing in the building making this development even more sustainable and environmentally friendly and state of the art building automation makes this building’s performance visible and measurable to the Geelong College maintenance and operation managers.

Credit image: N Dunn Media