Education
Onepoto School
Surrounded by an area of increasing intensification in Northcote, the rebuild of Onepoto School presented an opportunity to create a focal point for this growing community. The new two-storey building is placed at the rear of the tight sight, maximising the play space for the projected trebling of its current role.
Response
Servicing a diverse community, a key design driver was for the school to feel “like home”. The building’s Koru shape reflects the growth and learning it enables and the curved form allows pupils to look across and feel connected to the activity of others. The interconnected pitched roofs, broad verandahs and amphitheater type stairs allow the indoor learning spaces to spill out to the outdoors. The steep banks at the rear of the site, unsuitable for play areas, have been developed into terraced vegetable gardens.
