St John Paul College II Performing Arts Centre
St John Paul College II Performing Arts Centre
Client:
St John Paul College II
Location:
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Status:
Completed 2014
Collaborators:
Landscape Architects: DSB Landscape Architects; Builder: Richard Crookes Constructions
Contact Person:
Andrew Collins
The St John Paul College Performing Arts Centre is a multi-function theatre space for up to 270 people that also houses flexible classrooms for music, drama and dance plus a separate public entry space.
The design, originally by Collins Pennington, allows the building to act as an extension of the school’s established circulation axis and a place for the school community to gather. Importantly, it’s also a ‘showcase’ that helps form the identity of the college.
The defining element: a curved, pre-cast concrete wall
As a design response, it was important to offset the large solid form of the theatre with a tactile element connected to the human scale.
In this way, the curved, pre-cast concrete wall becomes the defining element. It signifies the public entry and is clearly interpreted from a distance and viewed up close.
Inside, the curved wall has a significant presence within the foyer.
As the building’s users follow the curve from a double height space towards the theatre entry doors, they experience a sense of compression and diffusion of light. This feeling is exaggerated by floating the concrete over a narrow strip of glazing and opposing the curve with a tessellated ceiling leading to the theatre entry.
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Client:
St John Paul College II
Location:
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Status:
Completed 2014
Collaborators:
Landscape Architects: DSB Landscape Architects; Builder: Richard Crookes Constructions
Contact Person:
Andrew Collins
Awards
Enrico Taglietti Award for Educational Architecture, ACT Architecture Awards 2015
