A new home for creativity and collaboration

Michael Nelson

Head of Middle School

Dr Kellee Frith

Education Environments Strategist, Architectus

Years 7 to 9 represent an extremely exciting and important period in a student’s learning journey. Motivation and engagement in these years is crucial and are hugely influenced by schools tailoring their approaches to teaching, developing flexible and multipurpose learning spaces and providing beautiful aesthetic environments – like the new Centre for Creativity and Collaboration. These approaches must complement a focus on student agency and the development of a self-curated, self-motivated mindset.

The new Middle School building was designed as an environment where all students experience belonging and a sense of safety and security to give them confidence to take risks with their learning.

We have developed a building that is elegant and aesthetic but functional, is humble in its presence but also fun and joyous, flexible but strong and purposeful, and speaks to the future while referencing the past.

[It is] an environment where all students experience belonging and a sense of safety and security to give them confidence to take risks with their learning.

Houses and streets

The walkways throughout the building represent streets, and along the streets are the House offices and communal spaces with kitchens and large benches for collaborative activities and social engagement. These areas are designed to foster a sense of connection and belonging – a home for the students. Our House system is central to every aspect of Middle School life and it was critical that students had a tangible connection point that allowed for both informal and formal pastoral care to take place. These communal areas encourage relationships to be built between peers and a deep connection developed between students and staff.

Visible learning

The building’s adaptability and visual interconnectedness coupled with its uninterrupted lines of sight makes the Middle School experience communal. This experience encourages collaboration, and creates a public forum for celebrating and observing student work and endeavour, with the intention of making learning visible. The use of transparent elements in the building means students can observe something interesting happening in other creative spaces, science labs or classrooms, which promotes a sense of connectedness and enables students to gain inspiration from the work of others.

Framing views and making connections

Students can quickly and easily navigate to anywhere they need to go when they enter the heart of the new Middle School. The building protects its occupants from the noise and activity of Barkers Road and Wrixon Street, while providing strong visual connection to the area and spectacular views towards the city. The building frames views on every side and into the Keyhole at its centre. This means the students and teachers have a constant point of reference and can locate and orient themselves in relation to the rest of the Kew campus no matter where in the building they are.

Creativity and collaboration

The building is organised into six intersecting learning precincts with their own character and identity, for Languages; Health, PE and CARE; Humanities; Maths, Computing and Dry Science; Wet Science; and Visual and Performing Arts. The concept of learning exchange is underscored by a large creative space at the heart of the building, where all learning precincts meet, promoting creativity, collaboration and the exchange of ideas. This setting, located at the apex of the Keyhole, is primarily for Art and Design, but also functions as a venue for interdisciplinary collaboration, making and inventing.

‘In the short time our students have spent there, we have found already that the inspiring spaces in the Centre for Creativity and Collaboration have had a hugely positive influence on the Middle School culture.’

Identity and belonging

The Keyhole (pictured above), a central sheltered outdoor courtyard, constitutes the social heart of the building and a venue for outdoor learning activities. It contains a series of circular, raised seating elements known as the community campfires, where students and their teachers can sit together and talk. Community campfires are culturally significant for Middle School students and were developed in response to student reflections on their experience of sharing stories around a campfire at Camp Toonallook on the Gippsland Lakes. Circular seating arrangements have a democratising effect on participants, as every position in the circle carries equal weight. At Carey, these settings support discursive learning in all subject areas, but especially for Indigenous Studies, which explores traditional ways of knowing and storytelling.

An environment for the future

We know education is going to continue to evolve and we have tried to make every inch of the new building contribute to learning: our internal streets become extensions of the classroom, wide stairwells double as group seating spaces, and walls throughout the building also act as surfaces for writing or for displaying AV material. The creation of beautiful spaces with timeless features was also vitally important in the design. Aesthetically appealing buildings and innovative furniture and equipment encourage students and teachers to develop a sense of connection to and care and appreciation for their surroundings. In the short time our students have spent there, we have found already that the inspiring spaces in the Centre for Creativity and Collaboration have had a hugely positive influence on the Middle School culture and the ethereal grace seems to encourage a sense of calm and joy.

Go to carey.com.au/centre-for-creativity-and-collaboration to watch a guided tour of this amazing new building with Head of Middle School, Michael Nelson.