As one of the newest public schools in south west Sydney, Barramurra Public School has been built as part of a strategy by the NSW major school building program to cope with huge residential growth in the area.

Inspired design

Pedavoli Architects, who were engaged to deliver this large-scale project, developed a design that spoke to the rural setting and location by the lush Oran parklands. With this framework in mind, Sam Rigoli, a partner at Pedavoli Architects and project lead, implemented a design that captured this connection to country.

“We were inspired to create a school that had a ‘protected heart’ of sorts by wrapping the built form around the site’s southern, eastern and western edges. Our design also invited the sun into classrooms and created a tangible connection to the surrounds,” Sam explains.

Environmental factors also played a role in Pedavoli’s selection of Cemintel’s Barestone as exterior cladding. Given the prefinished panels provide long-lasting protection against UV damage, they were ideal for the project and Sam chose the Original and Graphite** colours as a contrast of light and dark that complemented each other beautifully with the movement of the sun throughout the day.

Creating identity through colour

Looking to extend the palette of the natural surrounds throughout the school, Sam chose shades of Greenback and Maya from Cemintel’s Surround Collection as a nod to the green parklands and yellow of the sun. These panels were expertly curated and innovatively applied to integrate the indoor and outdoor learning spaces, projecting the individuality and character of the school.

“Given the speed of a project like this, it’s important to specify materials that are going to support build efficiency and Barestone’s offsite construction methodologies and panelised form help us achieve this whilst the colours available through Surround allow us to inject personality into the buildings.”

The connection to country has been woven throughout the school as well, with panels featuring indigenous symbols, artwork and imagery in multiple spaces. “We wanted the students to experience this aspect on an everyday basis and be inspired by the beautiful artwork, which also acts as an acknowledgement of country for the land their school is built on. The materials the artwork appears on also allow for a stunning interplay between light and shadow that reflects onto additional spaces to create points of interest for the students to explore.”

A certified choice

The rural surrounds of Barramurra Primary School meant the added appeal of Cemintel’s Barestone range, being both non-combustible and resistant to bushfire attack level 40 (BAL40)*, was important in terms of reducing the number of certifications and approvals needed during the planning process. “It makes it so much more efficient when you have cladding products that are fire resistant and CodeMark certified, it just removes that added level of paperwork, which is crucial to the timing and delivery of large-scale projects like this one,” Sam explains.

The delivery of this striking new school has been well-received by students and staff alike and Sam describes the support of CSR with products such as Barestone and Surround critical to this success. “The support you get from CSR for projects like these is so strong, and a key factor in helping us achieve the look and feel we are wanting to implement from our design.”

*Barestone External panels are BAL40 rated, does not apply when installed on timber battens.
**Barestone Graphite has been discontinued.

Architecture & Design Team

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