Designed by award-winning architecture firm ClarkeHopkinsClarke, this modest project saw a tired library transformed into an interactive Discovery Centre.
With its strong STEM and environmental focus, the Dandenong South Primary School project won the 2022 LEA Australasia Award for Best Small Project Under $2M.
Small projects can open up enormous possibilities when schools and their designers commit to transformative change and make every dollar and square-metre count.
This project reinvents an outdated, internalized library as an interactive, multipurpose environment combining a contemporary library and STEM centre.
Its modest budget of $1m was raised by the school community.
Led by School Principal Leonie Fitzgerald, that community commitment inspired the ClarkeHopkinsClarke design team to create an engaging and hardworking design to serve the school’s aspirations.
Principal Fitzgerald shared these reflections…
Students are relishing the new facility and embracing new STEM activities from “coding-related lunchtime programs to robotics lessons, posing their own experiments and investigations in chemical sciences, and engaging with digital simulations.
It’s designed to foster students’ critical and design thinking, creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills through rich experiences with technology, engineering, mathematics, and science.
We believe that nurturing these skills in students from predominantly low socioeconomic backgrounds has a profound impact on future career pathways, especially in female students who may not be exposed to STEM education otherwise.
Allowing our students to use the latest technologies to propose creative solutions is an exciting step, and we’re keen to see where this takes us.
ClarkeHopkinsClarke Education Partner Wayne Stephens concedes this was a departure from his team’s usual larger-scale, bigger-budget projects. But the firm considers it a great example of the positive impact small projects can have on students and communities.
Wayne Stephens said:
This was such a satisfying project to be part of.
That motivated our whole project team, led by Cassia Ward and Steve Green, to work hard to create an exciting hands-on space that delivers exceptional value for money.
The builders, Alchemy Construct, did an outstanding job.
This is a government school in a disadvantaged area, which raised the funds for a project that suits them and works beautifully for them.
That’s one reason I rate the LEA Awards so highly.
They’re not about who spent the most money.
They’re awarded for the design, how the space is used and what it achieves.
The refurbished building contains zones for:
- collaboration, group work, and storytelling
- a digital lab for online learning
- a learning resources area
- a dedicated space to accommodate a full class
- a quiet reflection nook
- and a wet-area maker space that can function as a kitchen, art space, or science station
It also hosts community events outside school hours.
ClarkeHopkinsClarke Project Leader Steve Green said:
The design makes environmental awareness a visible component of the learning hub.
Adaptive reuse of an outdated building is a sustainable design approach, and we retained as many existing features as possible.
That includes beams, light fittings, ceiling fans, and roof trusses, which we restored as a feature of the space.
The design also integrates a material palette of rich green accents expressed in paint, carpets, and patterned vinyl.
Plywood and laminate joinery and finishes are all specified for maximum durability and tactility.
The design promotes a strong connection to the natural world through abundant light and carefully framed connections to landscaping that features established trees.
Internally, plants in the living green wall help filter air and create a calming sense of well-being.
The storytelling space at the heart of the project features an inbuilt fireplace in a nod to campfire gatherings, creating a natural focal point where students intuitively gather and connect.
There are also enclosed areas for private study and downtime, with acoustically treated rooms aiding noise management.
School Principal Leonie Fitzgerald says the ClarkeHopkinsClarke design team was tireless in examining, challenging, and extending the school’s ideas.
Our school community is in awe of the design.
It motivates students to apply digital and design thinking in their everyday learning.
The vertical green wall and connectivity to outdoor areas are proving to be excellent for enhancing student engagement and wellbeing, and it complements our scientific learning about plants and biodiversity.
The Dandenong South Primary School project came in under budget, surpassed expectations, and had been warmly welcomed and embraced by the school community.
Project Awards
2022 LEA Australasia Award for Best Small Project Under $2M.
Project Details
Completion Date – 2022
Project Team
Architecture
ClarkeHopkinsClarke
The three founders of ClarkeHopkinsClarke are RMIT Architecture graduates Jack Clarke, David Hopkins, and Les Clarke.
Chalk and cheese and unlikely friends, but true believers in the power of architecture to connect people and communities, fulfill needs, and enrich lives.
Construction
Alchemy Construct
Alchemy Construct specializes in the construction and refurbishment of spaces that improve social infrastructure and community strength.
Photography
Rhiannon Slatter
Rhiannon is well-established Melbourne-based fine art and architecture/interior photographer.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge it.
Design © 2022 ClarkeHopkinsClarke. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2022 Rhiannon Slatter. All Rights Reserved.
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