Fitzroy High School

Fitzroy High School

Concept

The senior school addition to Fitzroy High School is located in inner urban Melbourne. A government school, closed in 1992 then subsequently reopened in 2004, the expansion to include years 11 and 12 gave the school community an opportunity to cement its reputation as a state leader in the implementation of progressive education for design.

The school is formed from a collage of buildings dating back almost 100 years, exhibiting a highly diverse range of styles. The school community had the stated aim for the new senior school to reflect a ‘new school model’, simultaneously accommodating and expressing the requirements and aspirations of a 21st century school.

The new facility accommodates the additional 225 students and 12 staff across three levels, and interfaces directly with the existing 1960s courtyard building to the west. The ground floor studio has been designed to open up to a generous foyer, providing a space for community gatherings that is otherwise not available in this neighbourhood. The key studio spaces are for 40-60 students and follow a ‘team teaching’ approach where spaces are configured allowing a flexibility and variety of use.

Completed
May 2009
Location
Fitzroy High School, Cnr Michael & Falconer Streets, North Fitzroy
Awards

The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture Awards 2011

Winner – International Architecture Award

World Architecture News Awards 2011

Winner – Education Category

Dulux Colour Awards 2010

Winner – Grand Prix

Winner – Commercial Interior

Think Brick Awards 2010

Winner – Horbury Hunt Award

Australian Institute of Architects Victorian Chapter Awards 2010

Winner – Public Architecture Alterations & Additions

Publications

Architecture Australia Sep 2007 Vol 96 No 5, online 01 Sep 2007
DesignBoom, 16 Jun 2010
Australian Design Review, 30 Jun 2010
The Cool Hunter, 26 May 2010
World Architecture News, 27 Feb 2011

Sustainability

Materials were chosen for their robust and sustainable qualities. Extensive exposed thermal mass was used to assist temperature stability of the un-air-conditioned spaces. A void provides light to the center of the building and facilitates cross ventilation and night purging.

The undulating perimeter is constructed from double brick with a deep cavity, allowing the building’s skin to perform structurally, thereby reducing the need for additional framing or bracing. The exposure of the inner skin of brickwork (and the underside of the slabs) maximizes the buildings latent thermal stability, considerably reducing the need for additional climate control. The 4m floor-to-floor height required to meet the existing building at each level also increases the quality of daylight deep into the proposed plan.