Guy Wilkinson
Anzac Park Public School
Architect
Government Architect’s Office (NSW)
Project architect
William Phelps
Landscape architect
Government Architect’s Office (NSW) – Sketch design
Tyrrell Studio – Design development / documentation
Facade design
Bennett and Trimble
Location
Anzac Avenue, Cammeray
Client
Department of Education
Project cost
$26 million
Completion
2016
Awards
Learning Environments (Australasia)
NSW Chapter Awards
Category One: New Facility Construction – Entire Construction
Commendation
Anzac Park Public School occupies the site of the former North Sydney Anzac Memorial Club, providing accommodation for up to 1,000 students. Addressing a significant shortfall in primary school student places on the Lower North Shore, the school provides a learning environment that explores new and innovative education methods in an urban setting.
The new building is located on the footprint of the former Anzac Club building, with the existing bowling greens and games courts recycled as the school’s open play space. A number of innovative design strategies were employed to address the challenges presented by a brief for a large school population on a compact site, and to maximise opportunities for outdoor play and learning. These strategies included:
- Accommodating the school in a four storey building, with a roof terrace that provides space for outdoor learning and quiet play
- Transforming the Hall into a covered outdoor play area by raising fold-up doors on 3 of its sides
- Scattering smaller covered outdoor “social spaces” through the building
- Installing a bank of slides that negotiates a substantial change in level between two outdoor play spaces, and encourages active play in a relatively small space.
With its striped blue facade the school has a strong yet playful visual identity, reflecting the dynamic learning environment within. This graphic quality is enhanced by a vibrant signage and wayfinding strategy throughout the building, and by the establishment of “colour neighbourhoods” to create a sense of identity for the students. The graphic theme extends to external spaces, with imaginative play encouraged through the use of boldly coloured patterns painted onto paving or integrated into artificial turf.
The project recently featured in an SBS World News story on new approaches to education.
