Kolbe Catholic College, Mickleham Campus is a new 7-12 secondary school on a greenfield site in Mickleham, 50km North of Melbourne’s CBD. Stage 1 will deliver 4,200m2, comprising of administration, learning neighborhood and visual arts facilities.
A key component of the design is a green line of a regenerative landscape (with indigenous species) that connects the park opposite the site in the southeast corner with the strip park central on the sites western boundary and aligns with the key pedestrian entry points to the school. This landscape picks up the sole remaining Red River Gum on the site, a significant 200-year-old tree that has become in the design a central focus to the school’s main entry and forecourt. The buildings are arranged on either side of this landscape.
A large formal square represents the heart of the campus. Buildings are strategically arranged around this formal space. The Architecture of each building is meant to be individual and play against the formality of the central square.
A distinct first building is located at the entry point; its form is a welcoming gesture which clearly and prominently identifies the school’s entry point and provides a civic gesture which contributes to the legibility of the suburb. Detail in the entry also clearly identifies the school as Christian.
