We are exceptionally proud to share that South Melbourne Primary School, designed by Hayball, has been named the Future Project of the Year at the 2016 World Architecture Festival, held in Berlin.
The Project
The $40-million, five-storey school is the first among a new model of “vertical schools” proposed around Australia. The government primary school will provide education for 525 students, with integrated community facilities for the growing Fishermans Bend community.
Hayball director Richard Leonard, who presented to the juries with director Ann Lau, said it’s an incredible honour for the project to be recognised on the world stage.
“As the first vertical school in Victoria, the project is a ground-breaking one. One of the things we’re proudest of is the combination of a learning hub with a community centre for the local residents to enjoy, which embraces the connection between learning and recreation, students and neighbours,” he said.
Read the full announcement from Hayball here.
Acoustic Challenges
Marshall Day Acoustics is part of the design team providing integral acoustic design input to the project. For this particular school, the site is in close proximity to the Westgate Freeway, and the design needed to address noise ingress from outside as well as between floors. Finding creative solutions to these challenges has involved creating solid external barriers around the outdoor learning spaces, which then act as a buffer to the internal spaces.
Amanda Robinson, our lead acoustic designer on the project, comments “The importance of absorptive acoustic treatment throughout a vertical school cannot be overstated, and is critical to the project’s success.”
Timelines
The project is currently under construction and will open for the school year in 2018.
Related Projects
We are also currently working alongside Hayball and other industry partners on the ARC funded Innovative Learning Environments and Teacher Change project. The project aims to produce strategies that will enable teachers to make the most effective use of the latest generation of learning environments. Full ILETC project details.
Image courtesy of Hayball.
