(Image courtesy of iredale pedersen hook architects. Photographer: Peter Bennetts).
City Beach Residential College was recognised twice in the 2020 Institute of Australian Architects (WA) Awards.
This year the awards were announced in a live broadcast on 26 June. The awards recognise excellence in the design and construction industry.
Additions to the College won an Educational Architecture Award, and a commendation in the Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture, for Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects.
The new building is a multi-purpose facility comprising administration, recreation and study spaces, a kitchen and dining room, toilets, laundry and external landscaping. The Residential College houses regional students attending six Perth high schools with gifted and talented programs.
The $6.4 million building was built by Firm Construction and project managed by the Department of Finance for the Department of Education. The contract was awarded in December 2017 and the building delivered in January 2019, in time for the start of the 2019 educational year.
The building preserves, wraps around and looks out onto a large ficus tree, with a façade featuring curved metal ‘silos’ reminiscent of the regions. Constructed of concrete blockwork and steel on a sloping site, the northern end of the building is semi-embedded in the ground for security, privacy and protection while the southern end cantilevers out and captures city and ocean views. Materials were selected for durability and maintenance minimisation.
Internal spaces use comfortable and welcoming curves and curved pods for the regional students far from home, with plywood for warmth and geometric wall painting for interest.
Portions of the site are Aboriginal heritage zones and building started after consultation and agreement with Aboriginal representative groups, and an aboriginal heritage survey, and was completed with monitoring by the Whadjuk Native Title Claim group.
