Australian Institute of Architects Brisbane Regional Awards
Three projects by Fulton Trotter Architects will be featured in tonight’s Australian Institute of Architects Brisbane Regional Architecture Awards.
The Carnival themed ceremony will take place at St Laurence’s College with 62 projects in the running.
Our three projects include St Joseph’s Nudgee Junior College Library, Mt Maria College Mitchelton Senior Precinct and Hospitality Building and Mt Maria College Mitchelton Rose Pelletier Building.
St Joseph’s Nudgee Junior Library – Public Architecture
The St Joseph’s Nudgee Junior Library is sited on the ridge between the river and the existing school buildings. It includes 2 wings housing teaching and staff spaces with a library space between.
These wings reference the east west planning and strong brick forms of the original building, while the library space acts as a negative space between linking western play spaces to the river on the east.
Its curved wall references back to the original buildings curved glass art deco verandas, as well as our more recent curved outdoor teaching knuckle on the adjacent classroom building.
The teaching wings include deep brickwork wall panels forming corridor edges and patterned brick obelisks in the landscape, while the library space incorporates a high and dynamically supported steel roof structure emphasising the importance of this space to the function of the school.
The timber clad staff recreation deck loosely references the original buildings curved protruding waiting area.
Earthy materials of brickwork, off form concrete, clear finished plywood and timber slat soffits aim to create a timeless aesthetic linking to the original building, whilst having splashes of colour on wall surfaces to maintain the sense of fun for primary students.
Mt Maria College Mitchelton Senior Precinct and Hospitality Building – Public Architecture
The Marcellin Champagnat Building skirts the edge of the site framing the senior courtyard. The architecture draws heavily on its relationship with existing buildings, referencing massing and layering . The warm tones of the brickwork reference the older building and balance the transition into a modern concrete frame, durable galvanised finishes with a filtered overlay of mesh and a curving timber screen with flashes of colour from the built-in lockers.
The building is comprised of a two storey Classroom wing of 10 interconnected classrooms and a three storey wing housing 13 Specialist Facilities including science, art, textiles, and ITD grouped around internal courtyards. Conventional rooms contain a variety of break out spaces, sliding and operable walls, adjacent design rooms and experiment areas, to serve the demands of the teaching philosophy.
The Hospitality building is located centrally, adjacent to the Marcellin Champagnat building. The hospitality kitchen is fitted out to provide the highest certificate level training. The usability of the space is maximised by adjacent classrooms acting as a dining room, the possibility of hospitality quality food being served through the servery and the connection with the outdoor eating area which raises the possibility of venue hire with catering.
Mt Maria College Mitchelton Rose Pelletier Building – Heritage Architecture
The Rose Pelletier Building is situated at the crest of the site and is intended to embody the Marist value of “Family Spirit” by acting as the heart of the campus. The pedagogical briefing during mater planning aimed to provide defined precincts for middle years and senior years, creating an opportunity to utilise the existing building to connect and provide an overlapping precinct where the school community comes together, acting both as link and hub.
Now supporting library, administration, executive offices, student support, staff work and relaxation areas, the Rose Pelletier Building provided many challenges when trying to provide optimal relationships between uses. Challenges where also overcome in the positioning of the library within the long wing, with temporary GLA’s that are designed to be incorporated into the library as demand for floor space grows with enrolment growth.
Reuse of salvaged materials was also an important element of the refurbishment, from doors and stained glass to the reuse of former hardwood ceiling structures as battening.