15
Initially, there was probably
a fear of using glass in
a school building and
of students being easily
distracted. There is that
tradition that you have
four masonry walls.
Whatever fears they
had quickly disappeared.
JOHN SPUNT, ARCHITECT
And no obligatory open-plan?
The northern edge is gallery, internal street and
function space. The central enclosed zone, accessible
from the gallery, includes a community room,
lecture theatre, school administration and shared
amenities. The Staff Centre is activity based and
premised on the vision to create an inspiring
workplace that promotes a cohesive and stimulated
work culture—rather than workstations lined up
row after row.
The atrium is an uplifting space.
It’s a response to the courtyard typology of the
campus as well as a spatial device for connecting
program and people. There is a physical and visual
connection between the two upper levels, reinforcing
the students' journey through their school life.
How did you decide on glass as such a key solution?
The building needs to interact with this site. That
further developed with screening devices on the
east and west. These direct views to the north with
the historic grounds and the mansion, and also veil
the adjacent residential properties and the students
inside, yet retain a sense of connection without
being overt. These screens as architectural device
animate the facade along Mandeville Crescent and
in so doing create a new public entry to the campus.