South Melbourne Primary School designed by Hayball has been named the Future Project of the Year 2016 at the World Architecture Festival. The winning Future Project of the Year 2016 celebrates the best of the world’s architecture that is yet to be completed.

The school is a new model of vertical school responding to the specific inner-urban context of the developing Fishermans Bend urban renewal area in the city. Accommodating 525 students, the new school will be an integral component of the Montague Precinct within Fisherman’s Bend providing an education and community focus as the area is developed.

WAF’s Future Project super-jury, comprising Kim Nielsen, Ole Scheeren and Coren Sharples selected the project for ''the way the space interprets and promotes pedagogy'' commending it for the way it connects indoor and outdoor teaching areas and differentiated learning environments. The judges felt the architects overcame the challenges of designing a vertical school, using a central staircase as a point of interaction and as a gathering space.

Rising to a height of five storeys, the South Melbourne Primary School (Ferrars Street) will be Victoria’s first vertical school. Involving the development of a new model for school and community, a key innovation is the unprecedented integration of shared school and community facilities. As well as a government primary school for 525 students, the project includes an early learning centre, administration, multi-purpose community rooms and indoor and outdoor multi-purpose sports courts.

Hayball is also working with the City of Port Phillip to deliver streetscape  and public realm works for the Ferrars Street Education and Community Precinct. This is a catalyst project integrated with the school design to deliver community infrastructure and improve accessibility and connectivity – including pedestrian, cyclist and public transport access –  which is vital for the successful operation of the school.

On a compact inner urban site of 5000 square-metre, the school will be located in the Fishermans Bend Urban Renewal Area which is growing by 3000 residents per year. The project demonstrates forward planning of community infrastructure by local and state governments, with the shared facilities forming a mutually supporting complex of excellent and wide ranging services for an emerging local community in one of Australia’s largest urban renewal areas.

Last year, BIG's twisted Vancouver House was named Future Project of the Year. World Architecture Community is an official media partner for World Architecture Festival and INSIDE, which ended up on Friday at the Arena Berlin, in Germany.

World Architecture Community is an official media partner for World Architecture Festival and INSIDE, which ended up on Friday at the Arena Berlin, in Germany.

All images © Hayball

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