Galilee Catholic Learning Community Stage 1

1. 2008 Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture Galilee Catholic Learning Community Stage 1 Aldinga, South Australia Elementary School New Buildings Russell & Yelland Architects

2. Galilee Catholic Learning Community Stage 1Australia Main Site Diagram

3. Community Within Community Community Environment: narrative During extensive consultation, the briefing community reiterated that the “school” is not to be thought of as a disconnected building. Rather, it is a learning environment inextricably linked to its surrounding environment. Initial talks touched on the idea of not needing a school building and instead using a range of spaces throughout the townscape allowing children to become a real part of the everyday social environment. While fantastic in theory the physical and economic practicalities of needing home base for student groups was too great. The decision therefore was to bring the community into the site and link it into the school. The school is therefore just one part of a larger encompassing site community focused on life long learning in a faith based environment. The site will eventually include a church and multipurpose spaces, community health and counseling facilities, opportunity shops, a preschool, community sports fields, fitness/walking tracks and community reflection and play gardens.

4. Shared Learning Space:for school & extended community Community Environment: Continued Connection with the community is already strong, with a clear focus on bringing the parents in to be part of the children’s learning, linking the school with the local preschool and church (which currently uses the main gathering space for weekend Mass while the church is being designed and built) and links with such groups and institutions as Flinders University and the nearby Eco Village (sustainable residential development). The overall vision was clear: to create an integrated community of faith, learning, family and friendships. The dream was for this community to be a place of service and life long learning to all families. It was also clear that the learning component would need to fit as a part of the total vision.

5. Outside Learning Space:variety & flexibility Learning Environment: narrative Defining ‘the learner’ gave the community group a foundation for its initial deliberations. The group moved forward with two overarching understandings; that learners are competent, active, social and critical beings constantly producing change through dynamic movement with the environment, systems and with each other and that a learner’s competencies and motivation can be enhanced or inhibited by the setting. The strong relationship between space and pedagogy became the focus of debates amongst the members of the Education and Building Group. And although some argued that a good teacher can use any space for good teaching and learning, all members of the group felt cautious in underestimating the power of space as a teacher itself. Members were influenced by understandings where the environment is unequivocally seen as a third teacher and physical space is a language of its own with a strong conditioning factor communicating culture and values.

6. Inside learning space, Home area 1:promoting calm, encouraging discovery Learning Environment: Continued Flexibility in the design of the physical space would help teachers and learners explore more fully pedagogy that gives greater life to the notion of holistic education and would encourage the evolution of theories. Breaking open the notion of holistic learning led to an exploration of the challenges inherent in the use of one defined space as the learning classroom. The built environments would need to support a vision for learning that encourages connectedness, making meaning and truly exploring different ways of learning. Underpinning the vision were beliefs about building social and emotional well being and capacity, learning how to learn, sustainability and the provision of spiritually rich environments within an integrated Arts and Science focus. Providing for learning inside and outside, in gardens and orchards, at the beach and in the scrub, and in small and large spaces would require an innovative approach as well as ubiquitous technology. Every aspect of this building would need to be a metaphor for the broader vision of community within community to meet the needs of young people today and into the future.

7. Framing the environment: Indoor & outdoor display Physical Environment: Narrative The school sits within an existing barley crop with wide open views of a nearby hill range, so creating large open beautiful vistas of the surroundings was an easy task. The difficulty was more in reducing and fine tuning the views to highlight, engage and encourage reflection and discovery. This was achieved through a range of differing window sizes and shapes (both internal and external), framing certain windows with bands of color and warm timber and encouraging reflection through seating placement. The smaller windows, some 200 x 200mm in size, all set at different heights encourage peep hole viewing, encouraging children to view and focus on small sections of the environment. This could be the ground to focus on sprouting seedlings or the movement of insects, the sky to focus on weather patterns and colors or the nearby indoor learning space to watch the activity of feet moving around the room to help understand social activity.

8. Environment as teacher:early growth orchard Physical Environment: Continued The school’s landscaping is made up of a range of spaces, set up to reflect the surrounding environment. This includes a sand dune mound to reflect and teach about the nearby beach and beach landscape and almond orchard to reflect the motions of surrounding agriculture practices. Each internal space overlooks and opens out to these external spaces, enlarging each classroom space and enhancing the flexibility of the school and its spaces and opportunities of learning about the local environment. These vistas reinforce the social environment of the learning community by provoking discussion, sharing ideas, exploring, discovering and creating, within the overt context of the physical environment.

9. Indoor outdoor connection:home area 2 Planning Process: Narrative The community group explored contemporary pedagogies within the context of the spiritual beliefs. Trying to fit an existing theory to this new learning community became problematic. Rather, a grounded approach was taken based on an understanding that there is a reciprocal relationship between physical and psychological environments. During the design process a range of spaces (cozy caves, open light filled watering holes) were explored as metaphors for the various aspects of the learning community. These were tested with the community with accessible virtual 3D models, and then referenced throughout the building. Flexibility of space was key to the layout of the building and surrounding spaces. Discarding set areas for computer rooms, libraries and gyms and instead using laptops with wireless internet connections, mobile resources and encouraging natural play allowed for the introduction of a large central shared gathering space.

10. Cave connections: home area 1 stage & display Planning Process: Continued Combined with the four interconnected L shaped classrooms and a range of external environments, the building comprises a multitude of spaces for an abundant range of activities. Children are free, and encouraged, to roam in and between these spaces, internally and externally to make full use of all learning opportunities. Overall we can say the building is a cave, a welcoming sheltered place compared to its wide open windy surroundings. We can say the central gathering space is the watering hole and each surrounding class is a cozy cave. But really each space is made up each of these spaces, created through differing ceiling heights, raised floors, differing window sizes and heights and the L shaped classroom which quickly allow easy division within the spaces. The most apparent cave-like spaces are the bay window/stage areas situated in the central gathering space and in each classroom. Each is colored in a soft relaxing blue or green and situated to highlight views of the hills to the south or entry to the west, they provide wonderful little spaces to read, to relax, to sit and chat, reflect on surroundings and share stories.

11. Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture 2008 Project Data

12. Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture 2008 Project Details

13. Supporting Image 1 Learning community brief:connection to earth, hills and sky

14. Supporting Image 2 Welcoming entrance:visual connection from foyer to shared learning

15. Supporting Image 3 Shared learning space:learning display for all ages