St Joseph's Primary School

St Joseph’s Primary School Nambour is a Catholic co-educational primary school located on a two hectare hillside site on the edge of the town centre of Nambour.

A Master Plan for the site was developed for the site in 2009. The Master Plan aims to build on the natural ‘layering’ of the site, formal substantial buildings at the top end of the site and a gradual loosening of that formality as the site transitions through a series of platforms down the hillside. Current work will continue to build on this idea, with more formal arrangements at the top of the site gradually becoming softer and more fluid and finally arriving at individual classroom pavilions in a naturalistic setting between existing stands of large trees at the lower end of the site.

The significance of this layering is expressed in a number of ideas:

Firstly the arrangement of the Master Plan allows the site and students to ‘grow-up’. By locating the youngest students in
the most natural setting and gradually allowing them to ‘grow-up’ into the more formal and solid areas of the site as they advance towards completion of Primary School.

Secondly the buildings and surrounding will be able to echo this sentiment. The light weight and natural buildings of the lower site will blend within their tree filled setting providing a nurturing environment for the younger students. Progressing up the site, the buildings will become more solid, refined and ordered and will reflect the older students increasing knowledge and developing abilities.

The navigation and circulation systems will also pick up on this hierarchy of layering. A formal axis will be strengthened as it joins the parish, church and administration with the upper GLA’s. A second, softly curving accessible path will provide a connecting way to the Library / Hall, while an informal Board Walk will provide the connections to the lower GLA’s.

Within this context, the new library and hall will form a new central nucleus of the school. While still reflecting the layering of the site, the Library / Hall will also become a distinctive and iconic building that reflects its significance as the central hub of learning within the school. The Library / Hall will also be regionally specific ensuring that Nambour is reflected within its architecture.

For more information, please visit the St Joseph’s Primary School website.