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design
mag |
61
Three schools. One architect. One cladding system.
Schools, public and private, are the bread
and butter of many architectural practices,
providing a steady source of project work.
Education sector budgets are usually tight
and client expectations can be high but the
result is often more than just financially
rewarding as the designer’s work may be
on display for generations to come.
Perth-based CHRISTOU Design Group has
completed three major projects that share a
single cladding system: Terraçade terracotta
facade system, developed in Australia by
Austral Facades
™
, part of the Brickworks
Building Products group.
At the core of the system are 600 x 300 mm
fired terracotta tiles that are captured on
aluminium rails fixed to battens over the
underlying wall structure, which may be a
building frame or a structural wall such as
precast panels or blockwork.
The result is an attractive, durable, low
maintenance, self-finished wall surface that
is tested to Australian Standards for water
penetration and wind loadings.Terraçade
tiles are fully reusable and most system
components are recyclable.
We asked CHRISTOU’s director Murray Johns
what attracted him to Terraçade in the first
instance.“Aesthetics, the fact that it’s a
natural material, the simplicity of the system,
its low maintenance and quality image,” he
responded simply.
As well as the three educational projects
shown here, CHRISTOU has explored the
application of Terraçade in Perth’s Claremont
Quarter, a $300 million commercial/retail/
residential development.
The Joseph Green Centre at Perth’s
Wesley College was designed in 1968
and constructed in three stages.The
concrete-framed structure was sound but
the brick-clad Brutalist style was at odds
with the campus character and the internal
design no longer satisfied contemporary
education needs.
The exterior required significant remodelling
to create an image and scale more in tune
with the overall campus.The design increases
the building’s transparency, most visibly in
the strongly-horizontal fenestration and a
new stair tower, the signature element on
the western elevation, which dramatically
improves vertical circulation.
The centre was extended to the north, with
the ground floor housing a cafe-style venue
creating indoor/outdoor dining options for
students.Above are two flexible learning
studios that primarily support music.
Brickwork was retained at ground level.
The stair tower and some first-level deeply-
corbelled brickwork were rendered.The
college wanted a low-maintenance,
lightweight cladding material for the upper
levels which ruled out products that require
periodical refinishing.
The Terraçade system offers the benefits
inherent in fired terracotta and is suitable for
retro-fitting as well as new construction.The
Wesley campus is predominantly roofed with
terracotta tiles.
The colour chosen for this project,Tanami,
echoes this and is towards the red end of
the traditional terracotta spectrum.
Internally, the Joseph Green Centre has been
comprehensively repurposed with the former
studios and workshops remodelled to provide
specialist facilities for media studies, science
and performing arts, as well as specialist
curriculum program centres.The Centre also
has an enclosed gallery, an auditorium and
staff facilities.
The Joseph Green Centre at Wesley College
is testament to the fact that sustainability can
be effectively delivered through the adaptive
reuse of a well-constructed building.
Wesley College