Kingston Flexible Learning Centre

On paper the Kingston Flexible Learning Centre project, south of Brisbane, is comprised of a purpose-built new curriculum building and an upgrade of many facilities. But in reality the design work by Fulton Trotter Architects (FTA) has meant so much more to the young people who depend on the Centre to get a foothold on a brighter future.

Approximately 80 students – previously at the margins of ‘traditional’ education and many from dysfunctional families – attend the Centre, part of Edmund Rice Education Australia. In order to do justice to their individual needs and desires, FTA’s project team spent a day with students and staff before work began to ensure the design went beyond just fitting the brief but was also inspiring, engaging and homely.

The result is a new curriculum building with soaring ceilings, airy open-plan spaces for manual arts and a state-of-the-art upgrade to the Centre’s audiovisual facility. Tight space constraints and an irregular shaped site dictated the building’s angular form, but FTA has celebrated this limitation with a design that is non-traditional and dynamic.

The young people who attend the Centre now have tailor-made spaces that are modern, inviting and comfortable, that expand their learning horizons and ultimately enhance their potential in life.

For more information, please visit the Edmund Rice Education website.