The Mawson Centre

Narratives

Architect Narrative

The unique educational vision for the community (described below) has driven the project brief for the project. As a consequence, it has generated some innovative ideas and progressive thinking, which has challenged traditional practices in relation to the planning and design processes.

It has required us to think in terms of:
*How learners navigate the range of educational services existing across the community?
*How information about learning practices is disseminated to the whole community?
*How people get access to technology which is rapidly changing and becoming a more powerful learning tool?
*How we address changing community expectations about the nature of learning — from “education for children” to lifelong “education for all”?
*How we provide facilities which connect education with social, community and retail activities?
*How we address the need for an iconic building which symbolizes the learning focus of the community and provides an access point/organising centre for the delivery of education services?

The outcome of this innovation and thinking has been the design and construction of the project as a focal learning, cultural and community hub for area.

Key features of the project include:

*Joint venture partnership and ownership of the land and building in proportion to funding contributions (University of SA 63%, City of Salisbury 19%, Department of Education and Children’s Services 18%). Other stakeholders were the Land Management Corporation (State Government) and the developers.
*Located as an integral part of the Town Centre precinct and provides a pivotal link to the university campus, the school sites and the community.
*Functional areas include a 24/7 computer barn/internet centre, 255 seat lecture theatre/ community theatre, 5 general teaching rooms, several breakout spaces and meeting rooms, executive offices for the University of SA, administration for the school, joint school-community library, offices for the Education Services staff, exhibition space, coffee shop, courtyard and plazas.
*Managed by a Board representing the owners within the frameworks of the Memorandum of Understanding and Commitment Deeds.
*Facilities managed by the University of SA (on behalf of the owners).
*Architectural features include flexible spaces, reduced energy consumption (natural light, automatic light switches, accent lighting to increase efficiency, solar water heating) and sustainable water management practices (storage of rainwater for use as ablution water).
*It is underpinned by:
— innovation and flexible use
— accessible technology for all
— environmentally sustainable design
— access to lifelong educational services

Lessons we are learning:
*Partnerships are essential in bringing innovative ideas to fruition. Conventional silo thinking will not deliver novel solutions. There is a need for stakeholder groups to share/own the vision.
*Pooling the resources of each party produces better facilities and outcomes for all. However, don’t expect stakeholder groups to contribute more than their normal budget allocation, or sooner, unless they are all in agreement.
*There is excitement and interest in the community about learning. The arrival of the project has crystallized the community’s energy and enthusiasm. Ongoing community engagement is needed to generate interest and ascertain demand.
*When working in a joint venture partnership, it is difficult to get agreement on all of the total elements to be included in the final design. Partners need to be prepared to compromise and this requires special negotiating skills on the part of the Project Team. Conventional building and planning processes and requirements are of limited use in resolving differences in a joint venture partnership.

Educator Narrative

There are a number of new ideas about the delivery of education services inherent in the development of the project as an innovative learning community. Educational services have been benchmarked against traditional 20th C delivery approaches to education and learning to generate new approaches more appropriate to learning needs of 21st C communities.

1. In a 21st C community learning is an ongoing, seamless and whole of life process. It is lifelong — not just a preparatory stage before work as it was in the 20th C.

2. In a 21st C community everyone is considered to be a learner. Education is focused on the needs of all age groups, not just children.

3. In a 21st C community learning is available anywhere — in the home, in the work place, and in a range of community places. It is dispersed across the community and is not just available from those special places we call schools, colleges and universities.

4. In a 21st C community learning can be accessed at anytime. It is available on demand not just at special, designated times during the day.

5. In a 21st C community technology is a key tool for sourcing information and knowledge, especially via the Internet. We live in a technological and information age where:
— the source of knowledge is not restricted purely to books;
— emerging information and communication technologies are generating new online learning techniques, beyond the traditional talk and chalk methodologies;
— the learning curriculum is becoming increasingly globalize; and
— assessment and accreditation are not only locally based, but becoming more national and international in focus.

6. In a 21st C community collaborative partnerships, based on sharing and cooperation, are an essential element for the delivery of learning. This contrasts with 20th C approaches where independent and competitive education providers were the predominant providers of learning.

7. In a 21st C community new resource models are driving the delivery of learning services. New funding arrangements are being developed between education providers and those organisations requiring education services, which overcome the traditional 20th C dependence on government funding for educational programs.

8. In a 21st C community learning is available from an increasing number and variety of registered training providers. Learning is not just available from special people we call teachers and lecturers, as it was in the 20th C, but is becoming more controlled by the individual learner.

9. In a 21st C community education is not just a service; it is an enterprise which has the potential to contribute significantly to the economic growth of the community by providing access to training for individuals and enterprises and as an education business in its own right.

Our driving vision is to develop an integrated and sustainable new community that supports learning for anyone, anytime and anyplace.