St Nicholas Early Education, Gillieston Heights

New Early Learning Centre

Located in the newly established suburb of Gillieston Heights, the St Nicholas Early Education Centre provides a 144-place facility with extensive outdoor learning and play areas, designed in collaboration with Terras Landscape Architects.

QOH approached the design by considering the sites context, identifying the need for a single-story, modulated built form that responded to site contours, took advantage of the site’s northern aspect potential, and would sit comfortably within its residential context.

Internal spaces are arranged to maximise secure access and supervision, while windows and glazed sliding walls between activity rooms facilitates play between year group clusters. Small nook areas within the activity rooms provide spaces for sensory withdrawal and creative play, while the verandah circulation and integration of the covered playscape maximises the buildings connection to the external play spaces and wider landscape.