The need for a new primary and secondary school tuckshop and plaza for John Paul College was identified through the master planning process in 2008. The project brief for the new facilities included food preparation areas, seating, a stage, bleachers, shade canopies and external meeting spaces. Deicke Richards was commissioned for the design, documentation and partial contract administration of the project, which was completed in early 2011.
Working in conjunction with a number of consultants, including landscape architects, Deicke Richards responded to the brief with a robust, playful structure. Steel and concrete were used to construct a durable spatial framework and a colourful film was applied to the tuckshop glazing. The landscape and seat design dealt with the site’s challenging ground level changes and the outdoor roof structure was conceived as a series of ‘glider wings’ stepping towards a natural gully line. It was important to the design team to balance the need for sufficient weather protection with the desire to provide a space that was flooded with natural light.
An integrated combination of architectural and landscape elements, this project has become an important circulation hub for the John Paul College campus. The 2008 master plan, also designed by Deicke Richards, identified the need for a series of well-connected, high quality outdoor spaces. The site for the new tuckshop was chosen for its capacity to establish a circulation node and associate it with a social function. The tuckshop can also be illuminated as a lantern, enabling the facility to cater for after hours school functions.
