St Joseph's College Arts and Learning Precinct
Adaptive reuse that restores heritage, engages community and makes learning visible.
Geelong, VIC, Australia
Djilang Country
- Adaptive Reuse
- Architecture
- Interior Design
- Landscape
The Arts and Learning Precinct at St Joseph's College is both a heritage response and a contemporary addition. The new precinct offers a connected sequence of new and reimagined spaces in dialogue with the oldest building on campus.
Working closely with the college and key stakeholders, we developed a carefully considered adaptive reuse strategy that removes what was extraneous and restores what was significant, while a new Arts building introduces a confident contemporary voice alongside the existing bluestone.
A prominent glazed structure makes the heritage building visible again, stitching old and new into a single precinct.
The heritage Tom Howe Centre had been diminished by decades of later additions, so restoring its prominence was key. Extraneous elements were removed, revealing the building's southern façade. The new glazed structure draws the precinct together, touching the bluestone wall with enough restraint to let the original building speak for itself.
The precinct brings together a sequence of learning, collaboration and circulation spaces. New stairs, ramps and circulation paths provide universal access across varying levels.
Clad in Grampians Blue bricks by Krause, the new building sits alongside the heritage bluestone with confidence and restraint.
Grampians Blue was chosen for its affinity with the existing bluestone, referencing its character without mimicking it. Considerable care was given to the detailing and craftsmanship throughout. A simple gabled form echoes the scale and proportions of the Tom Howe Centre, while generous glazed openings draw natural light deep into the learning spaces.
The adaptive reuse of existing buildings significantly reduced the project's embodied carbon. New stairs, ramps and circulation paths provide seamless universal access across the precinct's varying floor levels.
A sheltered courtyard creates a shared heart for the school community.
Between the new Arts building and the restored Tom Howe Centre, a landscaped courtyard extends the internal learning environment outdoors. Sheltered and connected, it creates opportunities for informal gathering as well as classes conducted in the fresh air.
Seeing, sharing and celebrating education through ‘visible learning’.
The new precinct is built on transparency. Generous windows and glazed slots frame views across the courtyard, toward the heritage buildings and out to Corio Bay. Replicated gable forms allow for generous ceiling heights within classrooms, producing bright, calm spaces for focused creative work.
Materials were selected for durability, warmth and their ability to complement the heritage context. Integrated study benches within the glazed structure offer quieter moments with views of the landscape beyond.
Within the new precinct, PMDL created a range of specialist spaces including a ceramics studio, kiln room and darkroom alongside senior study areas, staff offices and a tiered lecture theatre.
