St Joseph’s College

Project: St Joseph’s College
Practice: Cox Architects
Project team: Andrew Tucker, Nicholas McRoberts and Gate Boonklurb
Location: Ferntree Gully, Victoria
Planex products: xLocker2 System
Lock technology: Lehman vertical dial lock

St Joseph’s College is a secondary Catholic boy’s school located at the base of the Dandenong Ranges. The School engaged Cox Architecture to design and develop a master plan for the school comprised of a number of new buildings and a rejuvenation of the entire campus. The first two stages of the redevelopment included the Science and Year 7 Building and the Arts and Senior School Building.

Cox Architecture have designed the new buildings with a focus on flexible and adaptable learning environments. The projects feature classrooms punctuated by a variety of intimate and group breakout zones which enable reflection/contemplation and one on one engagement. These spaces created a flexible and varied learning environment for students to collaborate, work, and engage.

The buildings draw inspiration from the verdant natural environment of the Dandenong Ranges; bringing in light and views. The vertical window frames emphasize the view and vista beyond and draw attention to the natural beauty of the school surroundings. In collaboration with the School it was decided to include large-scale tropical and predatory fish tanks into the science facilities; creating a living teaching tool that sparks curiosity and wonder.

Throughout the two projects, built-in student lockers are incorporated as interior joinery elements; with colours and perforation design carefully selected and contrasted with warm timber detailing.

The Arts and Senior Students building features a mature, university-inspired interior design aesthetic. Meeting rooms and larger breakout zones outside the classroom are provided for self-directed learning, collaboration, and socialising. The lockers in this building are located along primary circulation spaces within tactile and robust Victorian Ash panelling and joinery.

Planex xLocker2 system was specified by Cox Architecture in both buildings and incorporated the Lehman vertical dial lock. The Year 7 building incorporates the Honeycomb perforation pattern and the Arts and Senior School building has selected the Buunhu perforation pattern by First Nations designer Lucy Simpson.

Photography by Chris Matterson