Windsor State School Learning Centre

Sitting within a steeply sloping site, with a prominent street frontage, established trees and State Heritage buildings, Windsor State School’s eastern precinct has created a new innovative learning core. The expansion of this growing inner-city school is supported by a new three storey general learning centre, refurbished heritage administration block, and new tuckshop and catering facility, alongside extensive external works that link the physical and historic context of the school.

Fronting Lutwyche Road, a new three storey General Learning Centre provides flexible and innovative learning spaces on the former WWII USA Navy store, which was previously occupied by an Officeworks retail store. The new Learning Centre contains 8 new General Learning Areas (GLA) spaces, as well as specialist Music and STEM facilities. Flexibility and customization of the learning environment is at the heart of the architectural and interior design; full-length sliding doors promote the use of Outdoor Learning Areas and Practical Skills spaces, and functional and logical teaching walls with integral storage extend the full length of the GLAs.

The new GLA building seamlessly links the existing campus to the new expanded precinct, utilising integrated access bridges to reconcile the steeply sloping site, ensuring all portions of the school link together through accessible pathways.

Understanding the context and construction of the existing site’s heritage is pivotal to the design; new reflects old, and old is given a new life, ensuring that the site’s history is respected, but the school is provided with a timeless and fit-for-purpose campus.

All design elements have been considered within their heritage context; timber is salvaged from the former Navy Store and is repurposed to form screens in breakout spaces. The heritage stairs, dating back to the depression era, are respected and included in the new entry and public frontage of the school. Brick and weatherboard cladding further grounds the new developments in the history of its site and connects to the community of Windsor and its neighbours.

The school’s State Heritage Listed Administration Building is refurbished with a strong interiors story. A high-quality fitout provides a professional and approachable front door to the school, while respecting its past. A new tuckshop facility is also provided, which is sublet to an external provider. The tuckshop doubles as an external catering business, strengthening the school’s relationship with the community. New basketball courts and extensive external works ties these previously disparate areas together into one cohesive new precinct.

Location

Windsor, QLD

Client

Department of Education – Queensland
State Government

Land Custodians

The Jagera and Turrbal people

Status

Completed (2021)

Scale

3,704sqm GBA
1 Administration Refurb
1 x Tuck-shop Refurb
1 x New Learning Centre
8 General Learning Areas
4 Outdoor Learning Areas
4 Practical Skills
STEM and Music
740 students (2022 enrolment)
Primary, Prep to Year 6

Services

Architecture
Interior Design
Visualisations & 3D Rendering

Builder

James Trowse Construction

Project Manager

Honeywill Constructions

Engineers

Bornhorst + Ward
Lucid Consulting
ATP Consulting Engineers

Certifiers

Mccarthy Consulting Group

Landscape Design

Jeremy Ferrier Landscape Architects

Visualisations

Cottee Parker

Windsor State School Learning Centre

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