Primary school precinct opens on the Sunshine Coast

A brand new major college precinct designed to replicate the varsity’s instructing philosophy and the positioning’s pineapple-farm previous has opened on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

The completed major college precinct at Suncoast Christian School, designed by M3 Structure, incorporates a new three-storey wing with open-plan instructing environments and connections to the outside. The constructing is wrapped in metal mesh, maximising air flow and light-weight penetration by to the verandahs whereas concurrently preserving college students protected.

M3 Structure director Ben Vielle mentioned they positioned nice significance on understanding the faculty’s co-teaching mannequin.

“Suncoast Christian School has a co-teaching pedagogy whereby two yr ranges of three streams are taught collectively as a stage. We devised a mannequin for every stage the place 150 college students might cohabitate the house throughout two to 3 flooring in numerous instructing modes. At numerous instances of the day, they reconfigure to swimsuit how they need to be taught. Inside these environments there are specialist areas as nicely. Every of the three phases has a makerspace, a kitchen, and lounge areas. A variety of kids seek advice from it as like their dwelling,” Vielle mentioned.

The brand new wing accommodates 450 college students between grades one and 6. Areas for every of the three phases – years one and two, three and 4, and 5 and 6 –have been seasonally colour-coordinated to create a way of belonging, in addition to reference the positioning’s historical past as farm land. Areas for the grade one and two stage function an autumnal color palette, with rooms named after autumnal fruits to assist college students recognise seasonal produce patterns. Winter and spring themes have been chosen for the opposite two phases.

In shared areas, there’s a deliberate gradation of color from the extremely saturated entry to the extra impartial, massive instructing settings.

The mission concerned a extremely collaborative course of between the architect and the shopper, with the faculty offering session all through the design course of.

Suncoast Christian School principal Greg Mattiske mentioned the constructing embodies the tradition of the varsity. “All of the issues that we mentioned have been essential to us and we needed the constructing to do, have been expressed within the structure,” Mattiske mentioned. “The sunshine, house, color, reference to the agricultural website and its historical past is so good for pupil and trainer wellbeing, it’s palpable.”

The idea designs for the precinct have been unveiled in November 2021.