Hayball's South Melbourne vertical school wins on an international scale
Those who pushed for Fishermans Bend to host a primary school will be feeling somewhat chuffed with the news that the Hayball-designed project has scored a gong at the World Architecture Festival in Berlin.
South Melbourne Ferrars Street Primary School as it will be known, cleaned up in the Education – Future Projects category, beating out an international field of projects to claim the prize. 10 other entrants were vying for the title, encompassing architects from countries which included Vietnam, Taiwan, Russia, UK, Turkey, Morocco and Bangladesh.
Held late last week, the World Architecture Festival is a three-day event for architects and interior design professionals, culminating in the presentation of awards for design merit across dozens of categories.
On news of Hayball's win, firm Director Richard Leonard issued the following statement:
It’s an incredible honour to be recognised on a global scale for our work on South Melbourne Ferrars Street Primary School in Victoria, Australia in the Education – Future Projects category at the WAF Awards. As the first vertical school in the state, the project is both experimental, innovative and enthralling.
What we’re most proud of is the combination of a learning hub with a community centre for the local residents to enjoy, which embraces the connection between learning and recreation, students and neighbours.The school will be the educational home to 525 students and will include an early learning centre, multi-purpose community rooms and indoor and outdoor multi-purpose sports courts across a sleek, light-filled building spanning five storeys.
Inside, the school invites students to learn in an open atrium that connect the ground floor to the ceiling, offering endless possibilities to all who enter.
In a precinct that is one of Australia’s largest urban renewal areas and expected to swell to 80,000 residents over the next 40 years, future proofing educational facilities is a critical factor in ensuring a suburb can evolve and behave according to the needs of its residents. With this primary school which offers more than the traditional spaces for learning, we’re building a new model for education that caters to more than just students, but the broader community.
Richard Leonard, Director, Hayball
Kane Constructions have completed early works onsite, with a contractor for the main works to be announced shortly.
The project's website indicates that the new facility is expected to be operational by January 2018, with student enrolments open from the latter part of 2017. Spanning five storeys, South Melbourne Primary School will be Victoria’s first vertical school with $44 million allocated to the project over the 2016-2017 State budget.
In collaboration with City of Port Phillip, Hayball have also created a new streetscape/public realm for the Ferrars Street Education and Community Precinct. Over a 5,000sqm site, the school and surrounds have been designed as a showcase for common integrated education and communal facilities, while also considering the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and ease of access to nearby public transport.
