This project summary describes a new school building designed by iredale pedersen hook architects located in Perth, Australia. The 1082 square meter building was completed in 2017 and serves as both an educational facility for students and a tool to teach sustainability and the local environment. The design immerses students in a creative space that responds to the surrounding context through its use of materials, light, color, and relationship to nearby heritage and city landmarks.

1. International case studies
•Architects: iredale pedersen hook architects
•Area: 1082 m²
•Year: 2017
•Manufacturers: Decor Systems, Lysaght, Midland
Brick, Original Ceramics, Custom Orb
•Project Team: Adrian Iredale, Finn Pedersen, Martyn Hook,
Mary McAree, Rebecca Angus, Tom See Hoo, Rebecca
Hawkett, Fred Chan, Craig Nener, Thomas Forbes, Nikki Ross,
Leo Showell
•Civil:Prichard Francis
•Structural Engineering:Prichard Francis
•Country:Australia

2. Climate
• It enjoys hot, dry summers and mild winters.
• During summer rain is unusual, but winter can bring
downpours of rain and thunderstorms.
• Summer in Perth is hot and dry with very little rainf
• The temperature typically varies from 48°F to 86°F and is
rarely below 40°F or above 97°F.

3. Program
1. CLASS ROOM
2. UNCOVER PLAY
3. STORE ROOM
4. KITCHEN
5. BATHROOM
6. LIFT
7. STAGE
8. COLLEGIATE ROOM
9. ACTIVITY AREA
10.VERANDAH PLAY SPACE
11.VOID

4. Site and site access
• The school site is on the
state heritage list(church
tower).
• The big city behind.(city
tower)
• It lies at the intersection of
the road.
• Iph architects initiated a
whole of site school study
to determine the location
that would minimize
impact to heritage
buildings, recreation area,
and vistas.

5. Figure ground

6. concept
Sustainable Design
• This design is unique in its approach to teaching sustainability to occupants
through the built environment.
• An awareness of the environment is created through the mapping and capturing
of direct sunlight, the winter solstice, the beginning and end of the school year,
the direction of north, the use of natural materials, a halo of light that filters
from above to deep in to the lower level, the trees that grow with the children,
materials that endure and weather deliciously with time and the educational
use of color that tells stories of the Nyoongar six seasons.

7. Forms
City tower
Church tower
A north point is formed in a circular
meeting space, a corner tower glows gold,
combining educational wealth to the
school, commercial wealth of the city
towers and the religious wealth of the
nearby Sacred Heart Catholic

8. Site plan

9. 1. CLASS ROOM
2. UNCOVER
PLAY
3. STORE ROOM
4. KITCHEN
5. BATHROOM
6. LIFT
7. STORE/STAGE
2
1.CLASS ROOM
2.UNCOVER PLAY
3.STORE ROOM
4.KITCHEN
5.BATHROOM
6.LIFT
7.STORE/STAGE

10. 1. CLASSROOM
2. COLLEGIATE ROOM
3. ACTIVITY AREA
4. VERANDAH PLAY
SPACE
5. STORE ROOM
6. BATHROOM
7. VOID
8. LIFT

11. EAST ELEVATION
WEST ELEVATION
SOUTH ELEVATION
NORTH ELEVATION

12. SECTION
SECTION

13. BUILDING DESCRIPTION
• It immerse the students
in a creative environment
that is anchored into the
surrounding context,
creating new
relationships and ways of
seeing their environment.
• The building offers a
variety of scales of
experience from distant
views to intimate
classroom experiences.
• The design sticks to the
Departments standard
pattern classroom plans.

14. • Light, color and pattern are
developed as an
educational tool extending
the classroom curriculum
into the built environment.
• The building is a microcosm
of the city responding to
the diverse and multi-
cultural students, allowing
occupants to find a place
and space of preference.
• We created a strong urban
gesture bringing the school
to the street corner and
redefining how one enters
the school.

15. Design
• The corner tower is at the axle of the
intersection of the city, religious,
industrial and tree towers and responds
to this intersection with both tower and
large urban window.
• The classroom activities now form part
of the street experience and vice-versa.
• A pleasing view to the city is maintained
from Lincoln Street allowing breathing
room to the adjacent heritage building.
• The double accessed stair forms a new
elevated vista to the city and heritage
building.

16. • Providing entry towers to classrooms
and greater height in the classroom.
• The projected and perforated
section creates multiple dialogues
between the upper and lower levels
allowing younger students to see
their next place of progression
through school years.
• Time is mapped in the north facing
urban corners, three bands of bright
color capture the winter solstice in
the morning, midday and afternoon.
• A circular ceiling motif in the outdoor
teaching space includes a north
aligned light.
• A circular entry pattern and purple
line on the wall and floor mark the
beginning and end of the school year.

17. • Colors were developed as
an educational tool
relating to the first
occupants, the six
Whadjuk seasons.
• Each of the six seasons
represents and explains
the seasonal changes we
see annually.
• The response from the
community and school has
been overwhelming with
parents eagerly waiting
and hoping their children
will occupy these spaces.
• The teachers have
embraced the spaces
finding multiple ways of
inhabiting them.

18. Lighting
• Learning environments with
both natural light and
artificial lighting.
• Natural light Is documented
on walls as an educational
tool, including the start and
end of the year.
• Natural light filters from the
sky through the growing
native trees creating an
abstracted halo of light.
• At night the mass of the
building and brickwork is
transformed into a light and
delicate experience, subtle
brickwork patterning and
texture is revealed.

19. Classsroom

21. Material
• Materials and forms
reference the heritage
buildings without
imitation and
constraint.
• A platform of stepping
natural limestone, a
blend of four red bricks,
a small band of white
painted render
• Roof of galvanized steel
fold and pitch in
continuous dialogue.
• Polycarbonate responds
to the backlit stained
glass windows.