Tasmania
The Larapi Child and Family Learning Centre provides a welcoming environment for local families to bring their young children to play and connect with other parents, centre staff and any service providers they may need.
Drawing on the duality of the Wynyard urban grid juxtaposed against the meandering river nearby, the planning of the centre uses these two contextual elements to shape the building.
The interior spaces are comfortable, calming, engaging and robust; the overall experience a familiar one, resembling an extension of the home.
Play is the fundamental theme throughout the centre, with elements that challenge, inspire curiosity and increase gross motor skills.
A circulation spine divides administration and service areas from social and play spaces, seamlessly opening out to the nature-based playground.
The fluid expression of the veranda and irregular groupings of columns form a dynamic relationship with the landscape, affirming that this is a fun, child-focused building.
Award for Educational Architecture
Nestled amongst local schools and large gum trees, Larapi Child and Family Learning Centre welcomes the Wynyard community. The centre uses known, familiar, and homely architecture to invite and comfort those using the building and its services.
A curved canopy stretches out to signal the point of entry and usher the community in through a foyer into the facilities’ shared kitchen area, the heart of any home. From here, a series of spaces feel self-contained despite being part of one larger space, a mechanism the architects have used to allow the centre’s staff to maintain gentle connections.
A series of smaller, separated spaces flank the main area. These spaces are tactfully obscured as they contain more private enclaves including consultation rooms, offices, amenities, and services. The architects’ approach to the interiors of the project is a highlight, with a joyful colour palette and a thoughtfully curated selection of materials that is both playful and calming.
Visual connection to the external environment is constant; raised ceilings lift toward views of the adjacent treetops, low positioned windows frame near-by pastures and a continuous, gutter-less canopy celebrates the drama of rain. All provide moments of intrigue and delight to the building’s occupants.
The centre’s community-focused contributions extend beyond the built form to the landscape and include integrated seats within the fence to convert impromptu car park conversations into longer social engagements, fostering deeper connections and community.”
Neal Mackintosh, Design Architect
Fiona Graham, Design Architect
Matthew Green, Project Administrator
ASC Engineers, Mechanical, Electrical, Fire, Communications and Security Engineer
Core Construction Management, Quantity Surveyor
Pudding Lane, Building Surveyor
Sue Small Landscape Architects, Landscape Consultant
The Australian Institute of Architects acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.
We express our gratitude to their Elders and Knowledge Holders whose wisdom, actions and knowledge have kept culture alive.
We recognise First Nations peoples as the first architects and builders. We appreciate their continuing work on Country from pre-invasion times to contemporary First Nations architects, and respect their rights to continue to care for Country.
