School Playgrounds
Rolling. Jumping. Climbing. Swinging. Digging. Playgrounds are empires of imagination and exploration, realms far from the strictures of the classroom. Through engagement with the Victorian School Building Authority, Architecture architecture worked with several schools to create a diverse range of inclusive and dynamic playscapes.
From sensory forests to adventure circuits, flowing landscapes to tactile rockpools: these immersive environments accommodate both passive and active play, as well as opportunities for outdoor learning. Universal accessibility and social inclusion have been prioritised, providing playscapes specifically designed to support negotiation and interaction between students of all abilities.
Circuits and pitstops encourage exploration. Tunnels and mounds foster deeper connection to landscape, while offering spaces for refuge and self-regulation. Climbing poles and nets allow children to challenge gravity, while sensory gardens, rockeries and soundscapes awaken all the senses.
| Location | 11 schools across Victoria |
| Due for completion | 2021 |
| Budget | $1.85m |
| Details | See floorplans |
Aa were so receptive to our ideas, truly valued the voice of our students and were responsive throughout the entire project. The play space we now have is functional, both as a play and outdoor learning space. Students of all ages love to play there, our families appreciate the space before and after school and our teachers maximise the space as an extension of their classrooms at every chance.
Kate Barletta, Principal, Essendon North PS
South Oakleigh College
A new Science building will be the first of three buildings in the school’s masterplan that will form the new STEAM precinct, while the expansion of the school’s gymnasium into a contemporary competition-grade facility allows for greater use by the school and broader local community.South Oakleigh College
, science and sport.
Brandon Park Primary School
A community hub. The green canopy is perched upon an array of pink columns, reminiscent of the flowering pink gum. It stretches between the gym and oval, providing shaded refuge for onlooking students.Brandon Park Primary School
, gymnasium.
The Scoop
In the heart of the student campus is a crypt of unrealised grandeur. Once an underground carpark, its sweeping field of parabolic vaults promises so much more. Raw concrete arcs out of the ground in defiance of gravity, an expression of aspiration and daring.University of Melbourne