The Cathedral School Development Master Plan

The Cathedral School of St Anne & St James – Townsville

DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN Development Master Plan 2013 The Cathedral School of St Anne & St James – Townsville

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Phone 4722 2000

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154 Ross River Road, Mundingburra w w w. c a t h e d r a l . q l d . e d u . a u

Contents Chairman’s Address Architect’s Statement 1.0 Preamble 2.0 Design Strategies 3.0 Master Plan Drawings

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Development Master Plan 2013 The Cathedral School of St Anne & St James – Townsville

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Chairman’s Address In 2012 The Cathedral School Board commissioned local architect, Stephen de Jersey, to develop a School Master Plan which will direct and inform all future building projects and their associated educational goals. A central theme of the Plan is to ensure that the beautiful grounds that are such an integral part of The Cathedral School will retain their character and beauty. The Plan development will not only complement that character, but will enhance the “loveliness” (as Plato puts it) of the campus and the ability for all students to fully enjoy (play amongst) what the unique campus has to offer.

In the Plan, each of the three sub schools, licensed centers and boarding houses will have their own precinct with open common / community areas. Importantly these will all link to an all school community area, the focal point for which will be the lagoon – which will eventually be extended into a Lake based Piazza.

From a capital development perspective, and by way of example, the Plan provides for complete changes to the central area of the school. The swimming pool will be removed and a Water Sports Precinct created along Thompson Street adjacent to the newly refurbished Rock Centre.

The one acre of land on Thompson Street, purchased in 2012, will be developed with four new tennis / netball courts.

The Middle School precinct area will be remodelled. The current Kardinia girls boarding will be removed and at that time girls boarding extended at the end of Sister Francis near the Rock Centre. The Kardinia building will be replaced with new Middle

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“

The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things.

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Plato’s – “Apology”

School classrooms and this will form part of the community precinct area for Middle School and its students.

The dining room will be extended with a new kitchen – leading off this will be a Retail Arcade to be developed in and around the dining room - this area will then extend down to a Business and Enterprise precinct where currently the technical education buildings are situated.

Centrally and adjacent to the lagoon (about where the swimming pool is now) will be a Cultural Precinct. This will be the campus signature building – it is proposed to incorporate a chapel, performing arts, music and central library.

The School and sub-schools will all be linked by an undercover Pedestrian Spine for access throughout.

To encapsulate Plato’s philosophy, all development will be based on the most modern open educational architecture. There will be a Landscaping Plan which will complement the Master Plan to

ensure that the rain trees and all other magnificent features of the School grounds will be retained and significantly enhanced.

The realisation of the School’s Master Plan over the coming years points to the ongoing development of our magnificent grounds always with the aim of improving our facilities and functionality as a learning center for current and future students. There is much to be excited about in the design that has been

proposed, and all members of The Cathedral School community can look forward to seeing the plan come to life in the years ahead.

Mr Philip Askin Chairman of the Board The Cathedral School of St Anne & St James - Townsville

Development Master Plan 2013 The Cathedral School of St Anne & St James – Townsville

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Architect’s Statement The Cathedral School’s site possesses some unique and extraordinarily beautiful natural features. The composition of the natural Lagoon, cathedral-like Rain Trees and looming views of Mount Stuart provide a memorable experience which is, in essence, a magnificent setting for a Learning and Teaching Environment.

The Master Plan holds utilisation of these natural features at its core in order to enhance the pervading spirit of the place. » It focuses upon providing community spaces for sub groupings by developing various precincts, each around its own courtyard space, typically anchored by significant Rain Trees.

And ultimately, it refocuses all of these elements onto one principle focal space by opening them all directly onto the Lagoon Precinct (viz Lake Piazza).

These strategies promise to remove the Master Plan from the mere delivery of additional new facilities and place it in a position in which it is possible to create greater spaces for the School Community, which will in turn provide students and teachers with even more effective Learning and Teaching Environments.

Mr Stephen de Jersey Director at Stephen de Jersey Architect

» In turn, it provides identifiable linkages to connect these precincts, viz. Pedestrian Spine such that the entire school community can be strongly interconnected. » It provides a central location for the new Cultural Precinct which will become a focused Learning Hub for the entire school community.

The composition of the natural Lagoon, cathedral-like Rain Trees and looming views of Mount Stuart provide a memorable experience which is, in essence, a magnificent setting for a Learning and Teaching Environment.

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1.0 Preamble The Cathedral School of Saint Anne & Saint James is situated immediately adjacent a major arterial road in the central suburb of Mundingburra in Townsville.

The school was established in 1917 and commenced operations on the current site in 1958. The site has been progressively developed to a coeducational boarding (Years 7 to 12) Early Childhood to Year 12 school.

A relatively significant amount of development has occurred within the past decade and has somewhat included the recycling of existing structures. This has enabled the School to fulfil immediate requirements; however, it has become evident that a long term vision for the site should be adopted to provide a framework for future development. This framework will allow for contextual decision making in line with longer term vision for better place making for the School.

The Master Plan takes into account a large number of parameters including: » existing building stock – quality and function » existing site qualities » functional requirements resulting from capped student enrolments » rationalization through the affirmation or creation of precincts » pedestrian and vehicular movements and separations

The Master Planning process aims to: » review the existing building stock and site characteristics » confirm functional area requirements based upon a capped student population » provide a list of key projects based upon this information » develop a series of design strategies » provide a site wide staged Master Plan that is flexible to curriculum developments based upon this information

This analytical process thereby provides a framework for future proposed development that not only meets functional requirements, but encapsulates existing site attributes such that the School can move toward an even more exciting and successful future.

Development Master Plan 2013 The Cathedral School of St Anne & St James – Townsville

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2.0 Design Strategies 2.1 Genius Loci – Spirit of Place

This master planning exercise seeks to place the utilisation of these features as central to its framework through the implementation of various strategies.

The site possesses notable natural features including an active lake, numerous significant rain trees and views to Mount Stuart and Castle Hill. These features establish a “spirit of place” for the school environment. However, they have been underutilised to varying degrees of success in past developments. This master planning exercise seeks to place the utilisation of these features as central to its framework through the implementation of various strategies. This will thereby appropriate them to create an environment even more conducive to teaching and learning and a much stronger “Spirit of Place”.

2.2 Vistas and Views on Entrance The earliest developments on the site relied upon creating a picturesque view across the Lagoon to the Buildings and beyond to Mount Stuart, framed by Rain Trees, reminiscent of Palladian country villas.

The strategy here incorporates framing views, in layers of depth, and controlling this to present a picture. Parts of the picture are presently not controlled.

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The earliest developments on the site relied upon creating a picturesque view across the Lake to the Buildings and beyond to Mount Stuart...

Development Master Plan 2013 The Cathedral School of St Anne & St James – Townsville

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2.3 Collective Entrance System The Lagoon and adjacent car park generally provide a collective entrance system (or front door) for the entire School.

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This does not mean that the site might not be entered from other directions, but that there is a collective forecourt.

2.4 Lagoon as Focal Point Conversely, the Lagoon acts as a Focal Point for all of the constituent parts of the School. This translates to a sense of Community for the entire School.

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2.5 Pedestrian Spines Pedestrian Spines provide the principal connections and are commonly the places where people can meet incidentally, thereby providing a place which builds a sense of Community.

These pedestrian spines should be formalised accordingly and should likely enable undercover access for rainy or hot days.

2.6 Heart to each Grouping These hearts provide the principal Community Space for each grouping. This should be acknowledged and formalised accordingly.

Development Master Plan 2013 The Cathedral School of St Anne & St James – Townsville

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2.7 Principal Community Space (Lagoon and adjacent Paved Area) The Lagoon and adjacent Car Park remain at the Heart of the School as noted. The Car Park is used only at student delivery and pick up times.

The whole precinct remains almost completely unutilised for the full duration of school. The car park is presently designated as a “standard� car park with concrete edge strips.

Il Campo, Siena offers an interesting alternative.

It is effectively a large hard surfaced area that can be used in numerous different ways, including the possibility of allowing cars to pass through it. The distinguishing features are that it is hard surfaced and surrounded by buildings or cloister to provide it with definition. It is detailed such that the pedestrian is the dominant user rather than the vehicles.

At The Cathedral School, the surface treatments could be modified and added to, the perimeter of the area could be further defined by building and cloister (or covered walkway). The Rain Trees (existing and new) could provide the area with a canopy at high level and a significant amount of shade as required by this climate.

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At The Cathedral School, the surface treatments could be modified and added to, the perimeter of the area could be further defined by building and cloister.

2.8 Secondary Community Spaces (Courtyards) Buildings provide edges to spaces. In a formalised Cloister arrangement, the Courtyard becomes a room, defined by the external walls of the surrounding buildings and the verandah access edge.

This strategy is partially evident in some areas of the School through verandah accesses and covered links, although the building facades do not generally support this concept. Courtyards and Cloisters are being identified as part of this document. Formalised treatments could be applied in order to formalise this strategy and thereby enhance presentation, strengthen spaces and improve the character of the Place.

In a formalised Cloister arrangement, the Courtyard becomes a room, defined by the external walls of the surrounding buildings and the verandah access edge.

Development Master Plan 2013 The Cathedral School of St Anne & St James – Townsville

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2.9 Framing Vistas Mount Stuart provides a distinctive land mark and orientation device. Buildings and Accesses can utilise these views and thereby strengthen the Character of the Place.

Mount Stuart provides a distinctive land mark and orientation device

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2.10 Car Parking & Set Down Strategy Ross River Road is a major arterial road with three lanes in either direction and a traffic island between the two directions. U-turn is permitted at the intersection of Ross River Road & Gulliver Street, thereby providing site access from both directions. Kerbside parallel parking is permitted to a portion of the frontage only. Ross River Road provides the principal frontage for the School.

Thompson Street turns directly off Ross River Road at a traffic lit intersection at the principal School corner. Thompson Street is well appointed with parallel parking to both sides of the street. This parallel parking is well utilised for on street set down, although only a limited number of these spaces are marked as set down only.

Wentworth Avenue is a relatively narrow quiet suburban street. This street is unsuited to high volume or high turnover of traffic.

The Car Parking and Design Strategy should complement this existing hierarchy. Public and Student Access (high turnover traffic) should be focussed upon Ross River Road and Thompson Street. Staff and Deliveries Access (low turnover, long term parking) should be focussed upon Wentworth Avenue in order to separate the “high” from “low” turnover traffic and also to spread the load across the site.

Source: Google Maps (2009)

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2.11 Rain Trees Landscaping is an important component of The Cathedral School. The Rain Trees and the Lake are immensely important to the creation of a “Spirit of Place”.

The Rain Trees (Albiza saman) grow to a canopy of 40m diameter and 25m height and the growth timeframe is lengthy. One account suggests that the older trees on the site could be around 120 years.

Given these timeframes and the importance of the trees to the character of the place (and also for providing shade), it would be prudent to put in place a plan for supplementing and replacing the existing stock of Rain Trees. Having a master plan in place is critical to meeting this objective.

2.12 Other Landscaping Delivery of landscaping is understandably related to the procurement of individual projects. As with the Rain Trees, a cohesive approach to landscaping across the entire site would contribute significantly to the character of the school.

The Rain Trees and the Lake are immensely important to the creation of a “Spirit of Place”.

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2.13 Girls Boarding and Middle School

Conjoined buildings K & M were originally developed for Girls Boarding, with Middle School classrooms recently fit into the existing Hohenhouse wing. Kardinia wing houses boarding bed rooms on ground level. The school has noted requirement for an additional 2 Middle School classrooms for the 2015 school year.

A number of options have been considered in order to resolve a number of issues, including: » adding two classrooms to the Middle School » eliminating the clash of public pedestrian access immediately adjacent the boarders bedroom windows

» identification and strengthening of a Middle School central courtyard space » ensuring a clear access path from the Lake precinct to the Middle School reception The preferred option has been included within the Master Plan. This alternative provides a longer term vision, rationalisation of the areas into precincts and balances intensity across the site.

Development Master Plan 2013 The Cathedral School of St Anne & St James – Townsville

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2.14 New Learning Spaces The principal intent of this Master Planning exercise is to provide a review of the existing facilities, and to put in place measures by which the School can move toward providing “new learning spaces” through alterations and additions to the existing facilities and also through the development of new buildings.

Amongst other influences, the advent of information technology has meant that teachers can teach and students can learn in a multitude of different ways. This obviously affects how the basic building block of the classroom is utilised, but it also affects the spaces outside classrooms.

There are opportunities to create environments more conducive to learning across the entire campus at The Cathedral School.

Examples of these possibilities outside of the creation of new buildings, as utilised in the Master Plan include: » Utilisation / Creation of Cloisters and Courtyards » Utilisation of the Lake Precinct

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These are possibilities that can be realised through the creation of “good” architecture which can only come to fruition through an open and collaborative effort between Client and Architect.

An understanding of how The Cathedral School teachers teach and students learn along with aspirations for how these could be improved and extended need to formulate a component of the brief for each project and partly inform the architectural design outcome. It is also true that the architectural design outcome provided by a closely collaborative effort with a designfocused Architect can provide possibilities that unexpectedly extend the brief.

3.0 Master Plan Drawings

Development Master Plan 2013 The Cathedral School of St Anne & St James – Townsville

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3.1 Artists Impression at Completion

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Phone 4722 2000 154 Ross River Road, Mundingburra w w w. c a t h e d r a l . q l d . e d u . a u A n g l i c a n S c h ool

C o-Ed Da y & B o a rd i n g E a r l y C h i ld hood to Ye a r 1 2 Development Master Plan 2013 The Cathedral School of St Anne & St James – Townsville

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