Repost 2 years ago – and looking at it again, what’s with the big grey and pink squares ? Prefer refined simplicity, or all out colourful mosaic :
The new #SouthMelbournePrimarySchool on the edge of Southbank is huge ! Designed by @hayball_arch with @tractconsultants landscape, it’s our first #verticalschool, five storeys, and no fence or indeed walls inside, with all spaces inside or out (incl on the many balconies) able to be a ‘learning environment’, which I think is fine. I’m sure the kids love it, I bet they get lots of exercise up and down ! Lots of great seating and ledges and play equipment in the front ‘yard’ (there’s also a rear rooftop for ball games). Built to meet the need for all the kids in all the new high rise in Docklands and Southbank, where nobody thought there would be any until Port Melbourne Primary ended up three times normal size (didn’t help that two 19th century schools in Sth Melb were sold off for apartments in the 90s). Built for 500 kids but for some reason they only open it one year at a time. Anyway, very groovy, very much designed to look amazing, the corner very pointy, but the ‘pixels’ end up looking like an afterthought.
But I do like that it’s more than just a school, with community rooms and a maternal health centre as well – though it seems that their entrance is via a very unattractive and not well signposted side entrance, past some gas pipes, and up some stairs – the whole thing is 2m above street level because ….floods ! But everything else around is is at ground level, I suppose better safe than sorry. This entrance is next to the big gym indoor space, which doesn’t seem to have a lot of windows.
Storey of Melbourne 