Geelong College Junior School
Geelong, Victoria.
Project Details:
Bricks: Custom Krause Bricks, hand-glazed in green/grey gradients
Design: John Wardle Architects
Photography: Katya Menshikova
Completed in 2020, the John Wardle Architects designed development of the Geelong College Junior School features a custom blend of Krause Bricks in green/grey gradients that capture the colours of the adjacent Barwon River and its surrounding natural landscape.
To achieve the unique colour blend specified by JWA, the Krause Bricks team experimented with several different techniques before determining that the only way to get the perfect texture and colour tones was to individually glaze each brick by hand. It was a painstaking process (as told by Patrick’s face in the photo below!) but we think the end result was worth it.
“The design draws upon the school’s pedagogies inspired in approach by the Reggio Emilia philosophy. A critical aspect of the approach considers the environment to be “the third teacher”. The planning is closely linked to the landscapes of the site.
The new school buildings are shaped to provide the optimal amenity and aspect for the learning ateliers. A zig zag plan form brings south light into all the learning environments and provides long views across the playing fields.
The form retains the existing site trees, and promotes natural cross ventilation of the spaces.”
See more of this project at John Wardle Architects: