St Joseph’s Primary School in Adelong is a small Catholic School and is located on the grounds of St James’ Catholic Church.
The existing school was wholly contained within the old parish hall and part of an old metal shed. The school was an internal experience with a lack of connection to the open space and wider views. The site was dominated by informal parking and car access. The presentation of the school and it’s frontage from the street required consideration.
The project was to provide a new administration building and three new classrooms. This provided an opportunity to create a new frontage and formal entry to the school with clear way finding and accessibility across the site.
The aim was to maintain visibility of the original school building with the new buildings being significantly set back from the street and behind the line of this original school building, conserving its dominant street frontage. This arrangement provided a pedestrian pathway from the street, through the site with a formal procession to maintain the school’s connection and relationship with the Church behind.
The new administration and classroom buildings have created a new identity for St Joseph’s Primary School and formalised the school within the context of the grounds of St James’ Church and the wider community of Adelong.
