Montessori School, Caboolture

Description:

BA Architects were invited to develop a ‘master plan’ and submission for a development application for the school.

The Master plan addressed the management stages with student numbers predicted to grow from 180 to over 300.

Our response to the brief was to ensure the Montessori principles of beauty, order and accessibility were integral to the Masterplan and the intended project. For improved accessibility, we created a meandering path through the school that linked passive and active spaces with the major playground.

The classrooms and multi-purpose rooms are placed at the edges of the school allowing the central play areas to expand. The art pod is like a pavilion giving recognizable node and zones for wayfinding thru the site.

The distinct character of the new art pavilion connected back to the classrooms by a deck that frames a small courtyard. This area becomes a gathering space at the entrance to the classrooms.

Part of the brief was to design a new classroom building incorporating the Montessori principles, existing context and constructability as the three key elements of the design outcome.

Our design concept was a two storey, lightweight timber classroom that blended with the existing buildings. The design integrated diversity of spatial arrangements allowing the students to undertake a variety of activities within the classroom without separation. An open plan design encourages a myriad of activities to be held in different spaces with children moving freely through the entire area. Interconnection of classrooms allowed for shared facilities, good visibility and improved supervision.

An amenities block extending out to the landscape incorporated a timber screen that acted as a filter and was inspired from the riparian vegetation at the edge of the adjacent lake.

Design Team:

Bruno Alahakone
Zach Brown
Greg Barker
Stirling Blacket
Genevieve Quinn