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Organized over two storeys the centre follows the site boundaries with a sleek rectangular form and elevated play areas overlooking the busy main road with a glass streetscape. Internally spacious open plan classrooms of sizeable zones are linked with seamless indoor and outdoor movement, connecting each to a luscious outdoor playground where growing foliage is playfully introduced for a natural canopy. The upper storey playground lends rhythm and richness to the overall architectural design further unifying the projects core vision of nature and rare wildlife inspired spaces.
Architecturally the flowing spaces are arranged with a uniform elongated volume, finished with natural and honest materials to create a familiar residential feel. Internally the classrooms incorporate themes of the natural with playful Autex treetops and natural plywood products integrated with custom designed cabinetry to mimic a natural environment. Employing a neutral color palette, the building acts as a canvas in which children are encouraged to make a space of their own where they can fine tune motor skills and feed their own curiosity.
The natural integration of sustainable features throughout the design includes extensive passive ventilation and good winter sun penetration in deep room, External shaded areas such as the concealed carparking and entry space is provided by extending the first floor in an integrated way. Similarly, the outdoor decking area on the ground floor is covered to minimize heat and glare. With extensive glazing covering the two ends of the building low E-coated glass is implemented for minimal heat loss.
Effectively glazing and cross ventilation throughout the building minimizes the need for mechanical heating/cooling and artificial lighting within the classrooms ensuring a healthy indoor environment is maintained.
Smith Architects is an award-winning international architectural practice creating beautiful human spaces that are unique, innovative and sustainable through creativity, refinement, and care.
Phil and Tiffany Smith established the practice in 2007. We have spent more than two decades striving to understand what makes some buildings more attractive than others, in the anticipation that it can help us design better buildings.
Recent advances in neuroscience and psychology have enabled scientists to unlock some of the reasons why we find certain works of art, objects and environments more attractive than others, and at the heart of it is simple Darwinian theory: if we find something attractive we will be more likely to choose that thing over another – be it a painting, a piece of music, a landscape or even a building.
At Smith Architects, we use these learning to inform our designs, striving to create beauty in everything we do, in the belief that beautiful spaces create better environments for human beings or ‘beautiful human spaces’.
We carefully integrates architectural, landscape, interior and furniture design skills to ensure projects achieve an holistic integrity that meets our client’s needs. At the core of our design rigour, we believe that modern, sustainable, research-based design delivers a successful project with innovative solutions that work for our clients.
Our Auckland, New Plymouth, and Arrowtown offices design and deliver projects ranging from refurbishments to new-builds; from domestic scale to urban master plans; from conception to completion. Our experience covers a broad range of typologies – masterplans, mixed-use schemes, residential; offices; cultural; educational; healthcare and childcare.
We work with a diverse client base, including developers, private, government and charities and have experience of working with multiple stakeholders on challenging sites around the world.
We are a member of the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA), the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC), Site Safe New Zealand, and the Sustainability Business Network.
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