JAWSARCHITECTS and Inspiring Place have developed a Master Plan for the Cradle Mountain Gateway zone, located on the disused, government owned airstrip airstrip just outside the northern entrance to the iconic Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park.

A major site rehabilitation project, the zone comprises a new Park Centre, Café, Parks Administration, public amenities and a substantial car park which caters for visitors to the Gateway Zone and those transferring to shuttle buses into the National Park.

The new buildings are grouped around the end of the airstrip, set back from the edge of the forest to provide protection from the threat of bushfires.

Buildings contain embedded interpretation messages through form and detail, drawing on references to the local underlying alpine geomorphology and responding to the extreme weather conditions the area experiences.

Extending from an excavated rock face, a defensive perimeter wall reminiscent of a glacial-eroded head wall faces south. Extending this metaphor, the buildings wrap around and open onto a protected landscaped courtyard, a notional cirque which is contained at the northern end by an enclosing earth moraine.

The centre is conceived as an expansive veranda to provide shelter to pedestrian ways, the encompassing roof folding to the ground to keep a low profile with openings carefully placed to allow framed and filtered views to Cradle Mountain.

New buildings are single storey, the multi-faceted elevations clad in a skin of rough sawn Tasmanian Oak to create a strong material expression, the weathered natural materials all helping to reduce the visual prominence of the building in this pristine environment.

STATUS:

Planning Approval Received 2012

Encompassing a number of outlying suburbs on the eastern shore of Hobart, the Clarence Plains district is spatially contained by a ring of rolling hills. The new Child and Family Centre will provide the community with a range of integrated services that support families with the health, care and education needs of children from birth to five years.

The centre’s welcoming plan of two opposing arcs embraces and connects with the local primary school, residential precincts and other community facilities to reinforce the notion of a community hub. The facility straddles an existing council walkway to incorporate an existing building, refurbished to become the new Neighbourhood Centre.

The design re-works local materials and forms, providing a building with a familiar and recognisable language to the residents, somewhat akin to the home environment. The roof form creates a memorable expression which resonates with the surrounding topography.

The layout of the centre juxtaposes an open plan model with designated spaces, a communal ‘lounge’ separating child-oriented areas from education, counseling and administrative spaces.

The interior explores the concept of the ‘Big House’, configured as a continuous, flexible space of experiences which encourage children’s learning through imaginative play. This concept extends to the exterior play spaces, a dynamic relationship with the landscape forming an integral component of the facility.

A timber portal frame marches through the centre, supporting clerestory windows to provide light from above and a connection with the sky, shown to enhance child development and well being. A neutral colour and material palette forms a latent canvas for the children to embellish.

ARCHITECTS IN ASSOCIATION:

PTA Architecture

STATUS:

Construction 2011

HASSELL in association with JAWSARCHITECTS were appointed to masterplan and design a new high school at Kingston to accommodate 700 year 7-10 students.

The form of an abstracted sine wave orders the buildings on the site, forming a community around a central learning spine at the heart of the school which operates as the main path of circulation traversing the site. The metaphor of the simple harmonic motion of the sine wave abstracts a mathematical phenomenon and relates it to the journey that the learner undertakes in the progression from Year 7 through to Year 10.

The school embraces the latest pedagogical thinking with project based learning in a flexible open plan learning environment moving away from the traditional classroom model. The design includes six “learning pods” and specialty buildings that accommodate Performance, Music, Drama, Food Technology, Design and Discovery Centre, Administration and General Learning Centre.

Sustainability is a key driver for the school with the site plan integrating the buildings into the landscape with sustainable materials, green roofs, rainwater harvesting, grey water recycling, vegetable and native gardens.

The design embraces passive solar and low energy design, utilising photovoltaic panels, good daylighting and focused views of the River Derwent from every building.


The school is co-located with the Kingborough Sports Centre, operating in a unique sharing arrangement with Kingborough Council whereby both the local community and the school will utilise the indoor and outdoor sports facilities, car parking and the school performance space.

ARCHITECTS IN ASSOCIATION:

Hassell

STATUS:

Completion 2011

The oldest part of Hollydene dates from the mid 1820s when earlier huts gave way to more substantial dwellings. Between 1910 and 1925 the original house disappeared behind several additions and a new façade, becoming the largest boarding house in Hobart.

Set to become an integral component of the new Medical Science research and teaching facility, Hollydene had become neglected when the site was purchased by the University of Tasmania.

The conservation and adaptation of Hollydene to provide a variety of student spaces was undertaken cautiously, doing as much as necessary, but as little as possible within a limited budget.

This approach involved judicious removal of some later additions, reconstruction of exterior rubble walls and application of a new lime-based render; the interior serving its new use through simply rewiring, patching, painting and laying new carpet.

Two paint schemes are used: the 1825 portions in colours used for its earliest coatings, and the 1910 buildings in colours of that era. The front veranda is a reconstruction based on a detailed 1910 photograph which also informed the selection of plants for the front garden.

The rejuvenated Hollydene highlights the contrasting eras of craftsmanship between old and new.

ARCHITECTS IN ASSOCIATION:

Lyons

STATUS:

Completion 2010

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Jonathan Wherrett

Originally a dairy farm, Fahan School is set among magnificent grounds and gardens in suburban Hobart.

Established in 1935, the school has since become an oasis hemmed in by encroaching houses.

The undeveloped western side of the school provided an opportunity for expansion and to create a focus to this edge, defined by Wayne Rivulet.

The Gymnasium and Performing Arts Centre were conceived as one project to maximize potential for linking spaces to add value for the school.

A strategy was developed to integrate the buildings with the terrain and establish a dynamic precinct, defined by movement within, under and between the structures.

The pre-cast concrete structure is integral, the materiality of both buildings drawing from the existing ground condition through the exposed dolerite aggregate.

Buildings are accessed by bridge and sunken into the hillside to aid their thermal performance, minimize the visual impact and contain noise.

The earth-covered roofs negotiate site levels, creating a unifying external space offering places of prospect, reflection and impromptu performance.

The circulation within is defined by ramps, stairs and corridors submerged into the ground, their external form configured as topography.

Natural light from above defines movement, bold colour creating inspiring spaces with a sense of delight.

STATUS:

Completion January 2010

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Jonathan Wherrett

The outdated facilities at the former Rocherlea Primary called for rebuilding the school at the adjacent Brooks High School.

A row of Cypress Pine trees has played a prominent role in the identity and memory of the school for both students and the community.

The concept for the new school involved transporting this legacy, utilising the structure of pine trees as an organizational device, seeking to inspire, nurture and provide a welcoming community atmosphere.

The placement of the buildings is likened to a stand of pine trees, the roofs forming a protective canopy allowing light and breezes to filter through. Buildings align with the existing ring road, the entry pathway a pedestrian ‘street’ forming the spatial backbone of the school.

The pathway provides access into the public forecourt containing community orientated spaces.
The forecourt divides the learning areas into two distinct precincts; an infant orientated area and general student learning, each with tailored play gardens and activity zones.

Controlled by a common external form, each classroom unfolds its own identity to form a society of structures. A variety of material, colour, texture and scale has been used to encourage a positive learning atmosphere.

The buildings incorporate a number of passive energy saving features.

STATUS:

Completion December 2009

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Ray Joyce, Fiona Graham

The Sport & Recreation building at the Sandy Bay Campus of University of Tasmania has been subjected to many ad hoc alterations and additions. This redevelopment allowed a more holistic approach to be taken, addressing fundamental inadequacies whilst creating a fresh identity to attract new members.

A stronger profile is created through the provision of high quality and fully accessible facilities, the natural ventilation and daylight strategy optimizing the functionality of the centre.

An expanded entrance provides a singular access point and a secure foyer, the external expression creating a strong presence. Particular components are articulated by abstract references to the structure of muscles and tendons, colour helping to convey a sense of activity and energy.

A major functional reorganization placed noisy activities centrally, with a layer of quieter activities positioned on external walls. Daylight is introduced to the centre of the building via a new stair, the void acting as a thermal chimney to assist with natural ventilation of the ground floor.

Upstairs, the end walls have been opened up with additional glass louvres introducing more daylight and efficient cooling of the space, supplemented by roof ventilators. An external sun shade controls glare and provides shading.

STATUS:

Completion January 2010

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Jonathan Wherrett

The Tasmania University Union activities centre was forced to suspend music concerts due to noise disturbance to surrounding residents. Addressing this situation, the new venue uses the practical constraints of acoustic and ventilation requirements as a catalyst for the architectural expression.

The acoustic containment problems were solved by burying the building under a post-tensioned concrete roof, covered with grass and endemic gardens. Raw concrete, exposed industrial services and shafts of daylight through rusted steel skylights highlight the powerfully restrained colour scheme.

The result is a dimmable, theatrical cave; the back-drop to a variety of vibrant gatherings. Internal surfaces are generally not parallel to improve diffuse reflection of sounds, with sliding wall panels allowing a variety of simultaneous uses day and night, the space opening out to sun-drenched, tiered courtyards.
 
Cut into the rocky hillside, the building’s immense thermal storage capacity maintains a generally stable internal temperature and adequate day-lighting enables the large spaces to be utilized for much of the time with very little electrical energy use.

At peak capacity, the space needs a very large quantity of air movement. All inlet and exhaust ducts have extensive acoustic absorption and a labyrinth pathway. Glazed roof lights and doors to the sunny courtyards are covered at night with lead lined acoustic panels.

The new TUU Bar now provides a durable and vibrant venue for up to 1200 patrons for functions as widely diverse as student exhibitions and performances, rock concerts and dance parties with sound levels of 110dB(A) inaudible in the surrounding residential areas.

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Richard Eastwood

STATUS:

Completion December 2003

Incat Tasmania’s phenomenal international success has spawned an unquenchable demand for aluminum welders, with the College of Aluminium Training established adjacent to the Incat facility in Hobart to satisfy this demand.

The form of the building is dictated by the functional requirements which define the plan and expression of each of the three principal elements.

The workshop is defined by a simple skillion portal cut into the ridge line. Incorporating welding bays and the full range of large scale production machinery, the workshop provides immediate access and direct visibility to the teaching areas.

Student and staff areas are located on the east and north elevations to gain the maximum benefit from direct sun and expansive views stretching from the Derwent River and to Prince of Wales Bay and Mount Wellington beyond. The two storey administration wing and gantry sheds form defining bookends to the composition. The administration wing responds to the arc of surveyor drive; the fluid plan and canopies inspired by maritime forms.

Construction materials have been selected to reflect contemporary industrial and marine detailing; an austere and robust palette of finishes which varies to suit the function of each building component. Administration and classrooms have an expressed steel frame with anodised aluminium cladding and window framing. The workshop has pre-cast concrete base walls topped with corrugated zincalume steel cladding on an exposed steel portal frame.

All services including reticulated gases, lighting, power and heating to the workshop are run overhead to allow maximum flexibility for future change in an industry constantly growing to meet the world demand for fast ferries.

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Richard Eastwood

STATUS:

Completion January 1997

The original Clarence Campus buildings were constructed as Warrane High School in the early 1960's and passed to TAFE Tasmania in the 1980's. After twenty years under TAFE operations, the buildings had become under-utilised, poorly configured for contemporary Vocational Education and Training programs and contained finishes, fittings and building services that had reached the end of their life cycle.

A five-stage redevelopment program was undertaken to address these shortcomings. The sequence of work takes into account the relocation of groups to either vacate accommodation for redevelopment or occupy redeveloped spaces.

Apart from addressing the tangible inadequacies, the design approach has been to retain and highlight the framework and features of the original structures, with the addition a new layer of design elements.

The new works have consolidated the disparate buildings to create a new first point of contact and a social focus for the campus. The way-finding within the campus benefits from a unique address for each building and a completely accessible circulation path between all levels, including provision of a new lift to upper floors.

New external building elements allows for selective inclusion of natural light, modification of the internal environmental conditions and incorporate a passive approach to glare and heat control.

All the buildings are to have their own identity, linked by a common design philosophy. The key objective has been to transform the campus into an exciting and vibrant learning environment by employing light, colour and movement as design devices.

The planning of the new campus allows a greater interaction between the internal and external environments, both in the sense of direct physical access or in the form of views out to the surrounds. Feature lighting throughout the campus is individual to space and function. Sometimes colour is linked in, sometimes scale is manipulated, and sometimes distance. Variation and interest is the key.

Colour is used as a tool for creating character and identity. A common base palette will run continuously through the campus as a whole, not only to tie the campus together, but also for flexibility and ease of adaptability in the future. However, individual buildings display a distinctive interior colour palette, the purpose of which to provide a distinctive address for zones within the campus and its associated user groups.

Pattern is a tool employed to create movement and link the distinct components of the campus together; particularly in the selection and layout of carpets, but also in the design of the signage and building graphics.

STATUS:

Completion January 2006

ARTISTS:

Kieran Bradley, Gerhard Murtz

GRAPHIC DESIGNER:

James Newitt