As part of the larger stage 14 Junior school development, OHD was engaged to design and document the external spaces and connections within and around the stage 14 development. The stage 14 development connects to the stage 13 development and links to the main primary school access spine to the south, and west toward the open playgrounds and ovals. As the development pathway was complying development, the impacted existing trees needed to be removed under a tree removal development application. OHD prepared the tree removal DA and managed associated council correspondence.
The site is impacted by bushfire and located within open pasture grasslands, so snake habitat reduction and bushfire compliant design solutions were key drivers in material selections and design outcomes. OHD undertook a reverse brief and RFI process, engaging with the client to discuss the design solution including low maintenance landscapes, mowing gradients, rainwater reuse irrigation and sparse planting outcomes.
There were numerous design briefs and concepts ranging from an active playground area through to the constructed passive landscape zone. The passive landscape zone is an extension of the parkland aesthetic throughout the school grounds The stage 14 solution featured robust selections and was a continuation of the stage 13 theme featuring sandstone terraced landscape, low maintenance planting, numerous seating and breakout outdoor learning opportunities and large trees, which once established will provide shade and scale to the buildings.
With offices in Sydney and Newcastle, Quinn O’Hanlon Architects Pty Ltd (trading as QOH Architects) can provide professional services of the highest standards to clients throughout Sydney, Wollongong, the Central Coast, Newcastle and the Hunter regions, as well as regional NSW
