ARCH designed a new secondary college for almost 1000 students, with distinct middle school and senior schools; and an indoor sports facility with joint use arrangements with Surf Coast Shire Council. The site of the new college is part of a wider civic district serving the rapidly growing coastal area of Torquay, with the new school designed to be a cohesive community precinct. The planning of the teaching and learning spaces in both schools supports the college’s pedagogical model of ‘flipped learning’.

Spatial flexibility is maximised in both the general and specialist spaces to allow different modes of learning to concurrently occur effectively and efficiently.  The innovative space planning and connectivity is intended to allow students to develop strong conceptual understandings as well as procedural skills and fluency across many subjects.

Energy efficient design principles coupled with sustainable materials enhance the long term lifecycle performance of the school.  Communication of environmental responsibility to the student population is a key education focus.  This is achieved through interactive real time energy monitoring screens installed in active student zones.