We are honored to receive two awards for our work at Silverstream School. A commendation in the Learning Environments New Zealand awards in Category 7, Small projects value under $2million (AU) and a Education Colour Maestro Award in the Resene Total Colour Awards.
Below are the awards and the citations from the awards.
Total Colour Education Colour Maestro Award Citation from the judges.
"Colour is viewed through timber frames with related hues, which connect one space to the next, like chapters of a book developing a story. Task-based zones are communicated through the palette using clear colour cues without being too overt. This project shows how you can elevate a building with careful thought and attention to colour placement. The hues have given it light, energy and fresh appeal."
Category 7 small projects value under $2million (AU) Commendation Jury Citation
The project at Silverstream School (K-6) delivers a mix of refurbished and new learning spaces that have been carefully crafted and aligned to the school pedagogy. The extent and quality of the built outcome belie the small cost of this project and demonstrate that investment in pre-design and planning phases can reap rewards in highly cost effective solutions.
Project planning was underpinned by a strong learning framework developed by the school including definitions of the type of environments that would support the four pedagogical "I's" ; Inquisitive, Imaginative, Interactive and Independent learning. Teachers experimented with different learning settings using second hand residential furniture. The consultant team undertook in-depth research to understand the school's pedagogy and educational priorities, investigating 'a day in the life of' the different student cohorts and spending time observing daily routines.
Play based learning spaces were developed for junior students and project based for senior students. All learning spaces feature an area for gathering. ‘Circle time’ is a fundamental part of the school’s teaching and learning practice; from this base a variety of spaces are defined, allowing the teachers options in creating different learning activities where the majority of the learning is undertaken in small groups.
Strong visual and physical connections are maintained between adjacent activity zones whilst each zone is defined with its own distinct character, materials and colour palette. Spaces have been designed to support as many functions as possible. The gather space can be used for explicit learning, performance, presentation, watching or filming video. The Make/Create space can be used for art, science, technology, model making or another group learning space. There are spaces for small group work either in the open or separated and spaces for individual work and withdrawal.
Attention to detail is a hallmark of this project. For example, the extent of glazing vs solid walls has been carefully considered to support teaching and learning priorities, ensure sightlines, manage acoustics as well as improve building performance and energy use. The result of this attention is an incredibly rich learning environment that presents as a modest, homely, calm and welcoming place of learning.
