A CENTRAL HUB

A new Central Hub for students at Mount St Joseph Girls’ College provides a meeting point with a memorable fixture.

Commercial contractors PTA Landscapes, working in collaboration with Melbourne Catholic Archdiocese, has completed their second major project with Mount St Joseph Girls’ College, the Central Hub. Situated at the heart of the school, the Central Hub offers a diverse landscape of amenities for use by students and staff.

After significant building upgrades, the existing space, which was terribly outdated, was visibly in need of a complete overhaul. PTA Landscapes was contracted to create a harmonious meeting point that would generate greater connectivity across the existing campus, forming a seamless spread between buildings that would also incorporate student spill-out spaces that functioned as opportunities for passive gathering.

PTA Landscapes were responsible for managing the entire works, from planning, design and council approval to project management and construction.

An initial challenge on the project was the existing landscape between the building entrances. The area was littered with visual pollution in the form of floor level changes, handrails and ramps. The design therefore evolved using the practical lines of access and egress for each building and their relationships with each other, resulting in a linear structured landscape with dissecting travel courses. Granite feature paving draws attention to building entrances, while charcoal concrete identifies student-movement pathways. Conversely, exposed aggregate and synthetic grass indicate gathering areas.

A large custom outdoor kitchen fitted with two beefeater flat barbecues, sink and granite service area takes up space in the central courtyard, perfect for sausage sizzles and pancake days. Surrounded by expansive picnic settings, the area also services the school canteen.

Providing necessary shade, a large multilayered shade canopy reflecting the school colours spans the cooking/eating area. Insitu walls and precast concrete furniture provide seating opportunities and piazza-style umbrellas contribute additional shade to the outdoor cafeteria.

The main focal point of the hub is the official “meeting point”. Consisting of a raised spotted gum deck with sandblasted concrete steps, raised timber clad planters and fixed seating, its main fixture is a large Urban Canopee.

A living green sculpture that houses climbing plantlife, the Urban Canopee is an innovative solution to help combat the effects of climate change in urban environments. It also provides a case study opportunity for students. Designed to deflect heat through greenery, the structural canopy restores urban biodiversity, fights air pollution and improves air quality. Fitted with a solar panel, battery, water pump and smart irrigation system, the environmentally responsible structure can be monitored by students for valuable data.

Continuing the biodiversity education of the students, feature pots and raised planters also feature predominantly throughout the space. Bulge pots are planted with citrus trees that teach students to grow, maintain and produce their own produce, and rectangular planters are planted with perennial flowering plants to add colour to the space. Raising the planters protects them from potential foot-traffic damage, while the pots themselves create immovable barriers that protect posts and direct student movement.

Mature deciduous trees add further impact to the landscape, providing shade in summer and light in winter. Ground level feature gardens are planted out with low-level Australian native and exotic plants in easy-care abundance that keep sight lines clear.

Crafted from a durable material palette and packed with plenty of function, the new Central Hub will more than adequately serve the student population of Mount St Joseph for years to come.

PROJECT PROFILE

Client Mount St Joseph Girls’ College

Location Altona, Victoria

Landscape Contractor PTA Landscapes