Transcript Galilee Catholic Learning Community Stage

2008 Exhibition of School
Planning and Architecture
Galilee Catholic Learning
Community Stage 1
Aldinga, South Australia
Elementary School
New Buildings
Russell & Yelland Architects
Galilee Catholic Learning Community Stage 1
Australia
Main Site Diagram
Community Within Community
Community Environment:
narrative
During extensive consultation, the
briefing community reiterated that the
“school” is not to be thought of as a
disconnected building. Rather, it is a
learning environment inextricably linked
to its surrounding environment.
Initial talks touched on the idea of not
needing a school building and instead
using a range of spaces throughout the
townscape allowing children to become
a real part of the everyday social
environment. While fantastic in theory
the physical and economic practicalities
of needing home base for student
groups was too great. The decision
therefore was to bring the community
into the site and link it into the school.
The school is therefore just one part of a
larger encompassing site community
focused on life long learning in a faith
based environment. The site will
eventually include a church and
multipurpose spaces, community health
and counseling facilities, opportunity
shops, a preschool, community sports
fields, fitness/walking tracks and
community reflection and play gardens.
Shared Learning Space:
for school & extended community
Community Environment:
Continued
Connection with the community is
already strong, with a clear focus on
bringing the parents in to be part of the
children’s learning, linking the school
with the local preschool and church
(which currently uses the main gathering
space for weekend Mass while the
church is being designed and built) and
links with such groups and institutions as
Flinders University and the nearby Eco
Village (sustainable residential
development).
The overall vision was clear: to create an
integrated community of faith, learning,
family and friendships. The dream was
for this community to be a place of
service and life long learning to all
families. It was also clear that the
learning component would need to fit as
a part of the total vision.
Outside Learning Space:
variety & flexibility
Learning Environment: narrative
Defining ‘the learner’ gave the
community group a foundation for its
initial deliberations. The group moved
forward with two overarching
understandings; that learners are
competent, active, social and critical
beings constantly producing change
through dynamic movement with the
environment, systems and with each
other and that a learner’s competencies
and motivation can be enhanced or
inhibited by the setting.
The strong relationship between space
and pedagogy became the focus of
debates amongst the members of the
Education and Building Group. And
although some argued that a good
teacher can use any space for good
teaching and learning, all members of
the group felt cautious in
underestimating the power of space as a
teacher itself.
Members were influenced by
understandings where the environment
is unequivocally seen as a third teacher
and physical space is a language of its
own with a strong conditioning factor
communicating culture and values.
Inside learning space, Home area 1:
promoting calm, encouraging discovery
Learning Environment: Continued
Flexibility in the design of the physical space
would help teachers and learners explore more
fully pedagogy that gives greater life to the
notion of holistic education and would encourage
the evolution of theories.
Breaking open the notion of holistic learning led
to an exploration of the challenges inherent in
the use of one defined space as the learning
classroom. The built environments would need to
support a vision for learning that encourages
connectedness, making meaning and truly
exploring different ways of learning.
Underpinning the vision were beliefs about
building social and emotional well being and
capacity, learning how to learn, sustainability and
the provision of spiritually rich environments
within an integrated Arts and Science focus.
Providing for learning inside and outside, in
gardens and orchards, at the beach and in the
scrub, and in small and large spaces would
require an innovative approach as well as
ubiquitous technology. Every aspect of this
building would need to be a metaphor for the
broader vision of community within community
to meet the needs of young people today and
into the future.
Framing the environment:
Indoor & outdoor display
Physical Environment: Narrative
The school sits within an existing barley crop with
wide open views of a nearby hill range, so
creating large open beautiful vistas of the
surroundings was an easy task. The difficulty was
more in reducing and fine tuning the views to
highlight, engage and encourage reflection and
discovery. This was achieved through a range of
differing window sizes and shapes (both internal
and external), framing certain windows with
bands of color and warm timber and encouraging
reflection through seating placement. The smaller
windows, some 200 x 200mm in size, all set at
different heights encourage peep hole viewing,
encouraging children to view and focus on small
sections of the environment. This could be the
ground to focus on sprouting seedlings or the
movement of insects, the sky to focus on weather
patterns and colors or the nearby indoor learning
space to watch the activity of feet moving around
the room to help understand social activity.
Environment as teacher:
early growth orchard
Physical Environment: Continued
The school’s landscaping is made up of a
range of spaces, set up to reflect the
surrounding environment. This includes
a sand dune mound to reflect and teach
about the nearby beach and beach
landscape and almond orchard to reflect
the motions of surrounding agriculture
practices. Each internal space overlooks
and opens out to these external spaces,
enlarging each classroom space and
enhancing the flexibility of the school
and its spaces and opportunities of
learning about the local environment.
These vistas reinforce the social
environment of the learning community
by provoking discussion, sharing ideas,
exploring, discovering and creating,
within the overt context of the physical
environment.
Indoor outdoor connection:
home area 2
Planning Process: Narrative
The community group explored
contemporary pedagogies within the
context of the spiritual beliefs. Trying to
fit an existing theory to this new learning
community became problematic. Rather,
a grounded approach was taken based
on an understanding that there is a
reciprocal relationship between physical
and psychological environments.
During the design process a range of
spaces (cozy caves, open light filled
watering holes) were explored as
metaphors for the various aspects of the
learning community. These were tested
with the community with accessible
virtual 3D models, and then referenced
throughout the building.
Flexibility of space was key to the layout
of the building and surrounding spaces.
Discarding set areas for computer
rooms, libraries and gyms and instead
using laptops with wireless internet
connections, mobile resources and
encouraging natural play allowed for the
introduction of a large central shared
gathering space.
Cave connections:
home area 1 stage & display
Planning Process: Continued
Combined with the four interconnected L shaped
classrooms and a range of external environments,
the building comprises a multitude of spaces for
an abundant range of activities. Children are
free, and encouraged, to roam in and between
these spaces, internally and externally to make
full use of all learning opportunities.
Overall we can say the building is a cave, a
welcoming sheltered place compared to its wide
open windy surroundings. We can say the central
gathering space is the watering hole and each
surrounding class is a cozy cave. But really each
space is made up each of these spaces, created
through differing ceiling heights, raised floors,
differing window sizes and heights and the L
shaped classroom which quickly allow easy
division within the spaces. The most apparent
cave-like spaces are the bay window/stage areas
situated in the central gathering space and in
each classroom. Each is colored in a soft relaxing
blue or green and situated to highlight views of
the hills to the south or entry to the west, they
provide wonderful little spaces to read, to relax,
to sit and chat, reflect on surroundings and share
stories.
Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture
2008 Project Data
Submitting Firm :
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
Russell & Yelland Architects
Architect
John Held
Director
101 Frederick St UNLEY 5061
South Australia, Australia
+61 8 8271 4555
Joint Partner Firm:
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
Other Firm:
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
Construction Firm:
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
Tagara Group
Builders
Paul Kassara
Project Manager
51-53 Glynburn Road GLYNDE SA 5070
South Australia, Australia
Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture
2008 Project Details
Project Name
Galilee Catholic Learning Community Stage 1
City
Aldinga
State
South Australia, AUSTRALIA
District Name
Supt/President
Tina Adamo
Occupancy Date
Jan 2007
Grades Housed
Elementary to Grade 5
Capacity(Students)
110
Site Size (acres)
14.8
Gross Area (sq. ft.)
5479
Per Occupant(pupil)
49.8 sq.ft.
gross/net please indicate
nett
Design and Build?
No
If yes, Total Cost:
Includes:
If no,
Site Development:
included
Building Construction:
US$ 1,549,025.00 (18/8/08 0.8797 exchange rate)
Fixed Equipment:
included
Other:
Total:
US$ 1,549,025.00 (18/8/08 0.8797 exchange rate)
Supporting Image 1
Learning community brief:
connection to earth, hills and sky
Supporting Image 2
Welcoming entrance:
visual connection from foyer to
shared learning
Supporting Image 3
Shared learning space:
learning display for all ages