Bentley Park College

Narratives

Architect Narrative

The new College is a P1-12 school that incorporates primary, middle and senior schools. Stages 1 & 2 of the program for the facility have had the primary and middle school sections constructed to the master plan requirements. Stage 3A included the first dedicated senior school buildings for specialist technical areas such as performing arts while Stage 3B involved the construction of a new student centre to be used by all levels of the school.

Stage 4 is the construction of the Senior Studies Precinct consisting of three general learning blocks each with separate withdrawal rooms, a Senior Studies Staff and Student Centre and two student amenities blocks. Each building faces inwards to a central student courtyard where three informal outdoor learning spaces are integrated into the landscaping to enhance self learning. Construction is of masonry block on concrete slab.

The flexibility of learning spaces affords students the opportunity to experience different learning environments from the formalised classrooms which join the smaller breakout/withdrawal rooms to the informal outdoor learning spaces set amongst the central landscaped courtyard. Classrooms have continuous glazing to maximise viewing at all times.

Flexible design was the key to the planning, to accommodate changing teaching pedagogies, changing dynamics of student group configurations and place less emphasis on teacher directed learning within four walls and greater emphasis on student led learning as individuals and in small groups. Flexibility was integrated into the floor layouts where full width operable walls allow up to 4 adjacent classrooms in each of the four main buildings to be used as one large learning space or assembly area.

The design is an extension of the School Masterplan where the buildings are located to radiate from a central point. The design aesthetic of the previous stages which features skillion roofs and brightly coloured learning spaces is also continued in this last stage. The design also provides generous roof overhangs and full sun shading to all of the classrooms. Cross-ventilation was promoted by way of single banking all classroom spaces and maximise utilisation of natural breezes.

Community access facilities are interwoven with the senior school to assist in blurring the boundaries between school life and the wider community — this is done to foster the culture of education as a lifelong pursuit.

Educator Narrative

The design brief for Stage 4 was to create a General Learning Precinct for senior students made up of a number of flexible, multi-functional learning environments flowing unimpeded from traditional classroom spaces through breakout spaces to the outdoor learning court. The aim is to provide teachers and students with a variety and combination of open amenable learning spaces to facilitate the pedagogical demands and differences of senior schooling through a combination of and along a continuum of teacher directed and self directed modes.
The precinct consists of 15 learning spaces in 3 teaching blocks, an administration/ student services block and 2 ensuite toilet blocks. The buildings are constructed as a rectangular ‘border’ surrounding a learning court.
Two of the blocks located at the northern and southern end of the court are a mirror reflection. These 2 blocks consist of 5 flexible learning spaces, separated by sound proofed operable walls, a computer laboratory and 2 breakout rooms. With the walls closed the flexible learning spaces vary in size and thus are used according to the group size and/or the nature of the activity being undertaken. By opening the operable walls in various combinations, up to 120 students occupy the space for large group activities. These spaces are pre- wired for multi- media.
Each breakout room is accessible from a ‘classroom’ and has computer access. Teachers use these spaces to facilitate individual or small group work and/or ICT access (including virtual classrooms). The dividing walls into the breakout rooms are full glass walls -teachers maintain visual contact with all students. The walls facing inward to the learning court are also of glass construction allowing teachers visual supervision of these learning environments through to the learning court. The computer laboratory is self contained with the computer terminals situated around the perimeter, allowing the room to be used as a computer or traditional teaching space.
The third western teaching block has the same features but in a different configuration. The emphasis here was to develop larger individual teaching spaces within smaller “open” spaces with common access to the computer laboratory.
The central learning court consists of a three leaf clover of learning posts, surrounded by landscaped gardens and grounds and protected by intersecting sails. In the cooler months this area is well used particularly for small groups.
At full capacity allowing for timetabling, the precinct caters for approximately 350 students. Currently each of the English and Mathematics faculties occupy their own building, the third building is a combination of the social sciences, business and health and physical education.
The fourth eastern building consists of a number of offices housing a variety of curriculum, social and emotional support, and administrative support staff, a conference centre (which doubles as private interview rooms) and a staffroom. All the senior school support staff are based here.
The entire complex is subtly light, each building is individually electronically secured, security within each building allows isolation of restricted access areas and the perimeter of the complex has subtle barrier security.