The construction of Barker’s new Maths Hub and Senior Studies Centre is a harmonious addition to the campus, with the form and natural materials creating connections between the new and old architecture. The building’s scale and contemporary form respect the adjacent Rosewood Centre and the broader campus’ masterplan.
Due to open in May 2023, this project is a complex build as the building actually has three sections. Some clever engineering by Buildcorp has ensured that the ground slab has been designed as a suspended slab with a void between the underside of the slab and the soil. This was required as the building ground slab is over uncontrolled fill, meaning without such a solution, the soils can shrink and swell, exerting upward pressure on the concrete ground slab causing it to crack. The cavity or void, creates a free zone that allows the ground soil to swell without any heave or upward pressure on the concrete slab.
The Student Hub and Dining Commons will encourage social interactions on the ground floor by creating active edges where the students can enjoy meals and socialise on the boardwalk shaded by trees and overlooking the playing fields. The teaching and learning on the two upper levels are designed to adapt to a mixture of styles, with 22 traditional classrooms interspersed with breakout spaces for student-led small group activities.
Several interesting design features by the architects, Architectus, are being incorporated into the building. The timber structure has environmental and sustainability benefits because of its low embodied energy and the fact that it has sequestered a significant amount of carbon during its lifetime of growth. The mass timber structure, exposed from within the building, establishes a subtle connection with nature. Biophilic qualities facilitate increased productivity and improved focus and concentration for both the students and teachers.
In celebration of Barker’s collaboration with Yolngu artists in north-eastern Arnhem Land, the design also integrates a traditional crosshatch style into the soffit of the Breezeway, which will be visible from the main entrance.
The building also reflects the sustainability goals outlined in Barker’s Sustainability Charter through collaborative design and engineering. The mixed-mode ventilation will provide good air quality and improve energy efficiency with a series of louvres in the building that will support a hybrid approach to space conditioning using natural ventilation and mechanical systems. The façade’s high-performance glazing and thermally efficient insulating spandrel panels are designed to optimise daylight, reducing the need for artificial lighting during the day and heating during the winter. Inside, operable blinds will provide solar protection and glare control.
Schools like Barker benefit from the support of previous generations. Many of the buildings that our students and staff enjoy today have been provided by past generations of effort and ingenuity. This generation will leave a legacy for our Senior students for learning and wellness, making the full Barker experience so much richer.
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Barker College
Founded in 1890, Anglican independent, day and boarding school. Barker College is a fully coed school from Pre-K to Year […]