Our Lady Star of the Sea is a new Catholic Primary School located in Cowes, the main township of Victoria’s well-known Phillip Island. The initial project requirement was to build four general-purpose learning areas to accommodate approximately 100 pupils. Our masterplan for the site incorporated learning areas that include an Early Learning Centre, a multi-purpose hall and a chapel.

This popular holiday town sees a huge annual variation in resident and visitor numbers, undergoing an influx in population over summer. This requirement for flexibility informed the design of a large volume multi-functional space alongside a more modest chapel that can easily expand into the adjacent hall in the peak times, while the hall itself opens up into a large shared-use space for the school and community year-round.

The materiality is sensitive to its surrounding environment, reflecting local materials and colour palettes through a subtle manipulation of traditional coastal architecture. Sand-coloured textural blockwork anchor areas of fine textural render below the skillion roof, with shiplapped timber joinery adding a crafted nautical element that harkens back to the historic roots of the area. The new building achieves academic and administrative functions across two storeys with learning on all levels, and capturing the inspirational views out over the bay.

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