Glenroy Specialist School Australia : Architecture

Glenroy Specialist School 12 May 2009 Gordon Murray and Alan Dunlop Architects in Australia "gm+ad have brought a deep commitment to ensuring that development strategies, design elements and materials used contribute to maximising the educational opportunities of the students. We believe them to be integral to us achieving the best facilities for our students.".......Glenroy Specialist School. Glenroy Specialist School is the largest School in Australia catering specifically for students with multiple physical and sensory disabilities. The State of Victoria, supported by the Federal Government of Australia has announced that it will commit $A15,000,000 to develop a new state of the art purpose built facility for the school. This is the single biggest award ever for a specialist school. The facility will be contained in one large building including 26 classrooms, each with direct access to personal care facilities and separated into junior, middle and senior subschools. Physiotherapy, occupational therapy and hydrotherapy spaces, specialist medical support areas, Library, Art, Music, IT, Multi-sensory and Multi-purpose centres are also provided. Circulation space will be utilised for mobility training, bike riding, shared learning and accessible equipment storage. Staff facilities will include office space, workrooms, relaxation area, and a professional learning centre. The school will also feature a transport hub for the 18 buses that transport students to and from the school each day. Murray and Dunlop Architects, Glasgow have an ongoing consultancy role supporting the Principal, the school community and the nominated architects in the identification of community needs, selection of a site and maximising the potential for development of the brief for the school based on the extensive research that was done in the development of the Hazelwood school.

McBride Charles Ryan

photograph © John Gollings