New South Wales
The St Patrick’s College Scientia Building is a new civic heart for a historic campus the first stage in a master plan, aimed at transforming the learning landscape of the school. Paving the way for student centred learning environments to come, it’s an architecturally striking front door for the campus, and hub for the community.
Taking full advantage of the site’s natural and physical features, the podium level features an undercover outdoor gathering space, a canteen and dining area and the building’s signature tiered grandstand, overlooking Breen Oval.
The rectangular floor plans are laid out on a regular grid, easily adaptable to differing learning styles including cross curricular workshops and small group study. Open air spaces blur the line between formal and informal learning and teaching.
The introduction of the Scientia Building serves to cement the identity as a school with ambitious modern values and a deep pride in its history.
The Scientia Building presents as a hybrid: part teaching-laboratory, part grandstand, it is a bright and striking addition to the St Patrick’s College campus; a building that is open and connected with the world.
BVN’s siting of the building is a prescient manoeuvre, setting up for a long-term, master-planned cross-school connection to be fully realised in future. The main entry loggia space is exciting, with its covered meeting plaza beneath vaulting mezzanine levels. Internally, a grand stair creates a promenade and a space for raked audience seating and leads upward to classrooms and open areas that are light and breezy – culminating in rooftop basketball courts. The floating lightness of the white blade facade screen is already being taken over by plantings as this fine building settles into the campus and into a newly integral role in the school community.
The Scientia Building at St. Patrick School is strategically positioned within the campus grounds. It’s simple yet striking volume is characterised by windows on all sides, ensuring natural ventilation and a seamless connection to the surrounding environment. This design ethos prioritises flexibility and adaptability, catering to diverse educational needs and future uses.
Promoting an innovative pedagogical approach, the building’s layout accommodates various learning styles, with flexible zones for cross-curricular workshops and small-group study. Classrooms and laboratories seamlessly connect with central learning spaces and versatile verandahs.
Emphasising the importance of outdoor education, the Scientia Building features numerous outdoor learning areas, further enriching the educational experience. A unified facade treatment with folded sunshading elements enhances the building’s aesthetics and maximises transparency.
The design optimises access to daylight, fresh air, and views, enhancing the classroom atmosphere and overall learning experience. The podium level of the building capitalises on the site’s natural features, offering an array of amenities such as an undercover outdoor gathering space, canteen, café, and dining area. Additionally, the signature tiered grandstand overlooking Breen Oval adds a distinctive feature to the architectural landscape, serving as a focal point for both academic and social activities.
The name of this magnificent building, Scientia comes from the Latin, Scientia est Potentia, Knowledge is Power. A strong education changes lives and opens up a myriad of opportunities and this building, with its state of the art learning spaces, will help generations of young men fulfil their potential. The plaza area ties all parts of our College together and will be a central meeting place for our community in the days and years to come.
Arina, Access/DDA
Cini Little, Kitchen
Dix Gardener, BCA / PCA
EcCell Environmental Management, Waste Management
Eco Aus, Biodiversity
Electrical Projects Australia, Electrical Consultant
JHA, ESD Consultant
JHA, Mechanical
McCallum PFCA, Hydraulic Consultant
MCD Fire Engineering, Fire Services
Muller Partnership, Quantity Surveyor
Navin Officer, Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
Northrop, Civil Consultant
Reverb Acoustics, Acoustic Consultant
School Facilities Planning Pty Ltd, Project Manager
SDA, Structural Engineer
SWP, Building Surveyor
Truth About Trees, Aborist
TTPP Transport Planning, Traffic
Urbis, Town Planner
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.
