St George’s Building Project

The Vision of John Sprunt - Principal, Architectus Melbourne

It was not that long ago that Architectus was accepting an International Award for the Mandeville Centre, which is now the established hub of the School in learning, community and library and providing the best possible teaching and learning environments for Loreto Toorak’s young students. With that success behind us we were given the opportunity once again to commence on the Schools’ next building project; St George’s redevelopment.

The new building will comprise three levels of teaching and learning above ground, and one level underground with external sunken courtyards. A further double basement will be provided for car parking, accessed via the Mandeville Centre basement. The building replaces a series of seven individual building projects known collectively as the St George’s Wing which were essentially extensions to the original Mandeville Hall mansion building St George's. The proposed building development was prioritised following an extensive review and audit of all school buildings and education needs in the 2015 master plan review.

Parity of experience, occupant wellbeing and internal environment quality were key design drivers, helping to shape and frame a formal response to the functional brief.

In 2017 there was an intense consultation process, led by Dr Kellee Frith (Architectus), conducted to understand the needs of the Loreto Toorak’s Years 7-9 students and their teachers to formulate the pedagogical and spatial requirements for the project. Through this process four important themes emerged all of which have been the focal point of our vision for the project:

• Equity of Experience

• Social Interaction and Informal learning

• Technology as a learning tool

• Beautiful and inspiring learning environments

The building is about the creation of beautiful spaces to inspire learning. More than bricks and mortar and much more than just the provision of a building area, this building is about ensuring staff and students alike are inspired and engaged, and at the same time comfortable to be their individual selves.

The idea that a space can create or encourage a behavioural response was very important in the design of the new building. Teaching spaces are enclosed but with strong visual connections to informal learning spaces and equally to outside; activated and anchored to their local environment; informal learning areas are spatially connected but with moments of occupation and purpose, with a social or pastoral heart to each year level capable of much larger groupings. Double height spaces will serve to connect levels spatially, but there should also be a sense of spatial variety that will encourage a different quality of experience; much like the experience of entering through the Mandeville Centre, whether through the three storey gallery space, library atrium or screened volume to the western edge.

The idea that the way a building can be experienced through movement was similarly important; whether by passing over or through a threshold as a way of preparing for what lies ahead, or via a walkway or stair that crafts a spatial awareness. More formal areas are entered from communal and social spaces which in turn are accessed via separate stairwells or directly from Reception or from outside, intended to create a different experience and set of learning and social behaviours

Internal materials are defined by texture and quality, eliciting a certain mood or characteristic whereby the warmth of timber is complimented by the softness and tactile nature of furnishings, or the honesty of glass, the fineness of steel and strength of concrete.

That visual connectedness can provide harmony and security at the same time, whilst highlighting student centred positive education.

The new St George’s building will include beautiful public spaces that inspire and delight as they welcome students, teachers, parents and the broader school community into

the new home for Loreto Toorak’s Years 7-9 students. Contemporary formal classroom spaces will provide equity of experience for all students by supporting and promoting strong learning relationships with teachers. These spaces will be linked by informal learning areas that provide venues for students’ social learning relationships as well as opportunities for teachers to use collaborative learning experiences to enhance Loreto Toorak’s strong academic practice.

This building will reflect all that is important to Loreto Toorak – it will provide a sense place, of belonging, it will be inspiring, and it will challenge the girls to be the best that they can possibly be.