ST BEDE’S COLLEGE PASSIVE RECREATION AREA
Growing bodies benefit from movement, and some students learn better by engaging directly with the tactile world. This can be achieved easily and naturally in the outdoor classroom, with its unique balance of structured and casual spaces, together with the natural elements of fresh air, sunshine and planting.
Traditional Owners
Bunurong people
Client
St Bede’s College
Completed
2006
Project Type
Outdoor & Landscape
Formal design elements
Breaking up the ground plane into many horizontal layers of hard landscape provides interest to the gaze and differentiates parts and uses of the landscape.
Canopies inspired by foliage and the anatomy of individual leaves, incorporating layers of transparencies to create incidental geometries.
A diverse range of textures
A water box planted with lilies to be filled with rain directly harvested from the canopies
Diverse uses
Varied learning settings are provided, through the careful arrangement of seating, incidental plateaus and plazas, and semi-protected dugouts for informal gatherings or group work.
Abstract seating / forms invite uses that are not prescriptive.
Covered BBQ area for small or large groups
Settings for a display or performance, surrounded by a seated audience
Outdoor chess (Life Size Scale)
Constructed and natural forms of shading
Sustainable design opportunities
Storm water is collected from the canopies to supply the lily-pond and rain gardens, thus reusing water and minimizing ground water run off.
The rain gardens provide a filter for rainwater which eventually drains to the aquifer that supplies the St Bede’s College bore.
Warm earth tones and subdued natural hues and natural textures to harmonize with the planting
Durability and low maintenance
A balance of shade-protected areas and sunlit spaces. At night, a combination of in-ground up lights and high level flood lights allow for activities such as night chess tournaments and evening performances to be held.
KDA Team
Mun Rosewarne
Acknowledgements
Photographer
Silvi Glattauer
2008
Shade Awards Australia: School & Early Childhood Services- Winner
2007
Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) Awards Victoria: Educational Initiative- Commendation