South Melbourne Primary School, Victoria’s first vertical public school is set to open in just over two weeks time, all part of a $2.5 billion education investment by the state government.
According to the architects, Hayball, South Melbourne Primary School features modern teaching and learning spaces, as well as facilities the wider community can also utilise, allowing it to be “fully embedded” in neighbourhood life.
In terms of the design, South Melbourne Primary School has beed designed to accommodate more than 500 students and includes an administration centre, library and arts facilities, as well as a maternal child and health centre.
As the winner of the Future Project of the Year award at the 2016 World Architecture Festival Awards in Berlin, the Prep to Year 6 primary school also has a library and arts facilities, as well as an external urban ecology chamber, canteen and a plaza.
Victoria’s acting premier and minister for education, James Merlino says, “This new school will be a jewel of South Melbourne, giving local students and families access to first-class facilities and easing enrolment pressures in our growing community.”
According to Richard Leonard, director at Hayball, “This school represents the very best in contemporary education design and focusses on the needs of 21st century students and their wider community.”
“There’s a number of innovative, creative spaces that allow for active learning that take advantage of the building’s height.”
“For instance, there are a wide variety of integrated teaching and learning areas and with annexed outdoor spaces at every level providing students with seamless indoor and outdoor learning opportunities,” he says.
“We’ve included a number of design features that embrace community engagement through social and recreational areas.”
“It means the school can be used 24x7 by not just the school cohort, but the broader local community too,” says Leonard.
