Like many locals I felt nostalgic about the last game of footy being played at Subiaco Oval last year, and I noted with interest the plans for the Oval and adjacent Kitchener Park as reported in ‘The Post’ and on ABC News at the time.
See the full story at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-11/first-look-inside-perths-inner-city-high-school-at-subiaco-oval/9245994.
Speaking as an architect who has a strong interest in the quality of new projects and the built character of our suburbs and city, I’m troubled by the speed of the government’s plans for this new high school, and the fact that the proposed buildings have little regard for their surroundings or the history of the site.
Producing great design takes time: it requires architects to assess and evaluate the site, its history, the local context, the client’s brief, the proposed budget, any environmental and climatic constraints, and in this case best practice school design, and to weigh up often competing challenges to arrive at the best outcome.
We know that government has the capacity to undertake this work: the highest architectural award in WA this year went to the redeveloped Willetton Senior High School, a project that took several years over multiple stages to design and document, before the construction program commenced in late 2014.
The government appears to have ignored its own processes and procurement policies on this project. Instead, according to the preliminary drawings we’ve seen, government has opted to build a fast-tracked design that doesn’t acknowledge the significant buildings nearby, nor the extensive public space adjoining the site.
I’m keen to ensure that future generations appreciate the history and fine grain of our suburbs and the city generally, and this design misses the many opportunities to connect the new school buildings to the site and its context.
I wrote to Minister Ellery to urge her to reconsider the speed of this development, and asked her to answer the following questions:
- Was there an open architectural competition to design the school? If not, why not?
- What steps has the government taken to ensure best practice design and pedagogy attributes will be achieved on this project?
- How will the proposed design reference the existing context, which includes Subiaco Oval, Kitchener Park and the nearby Perth Modern School (with its distinctive mix of red brick Edwardian buildings)?
She replied, but only vaguely addressed my concerns, as follows:
Inner City College will be a modern, dynamic and highly regarded secondary school offering the best educational facilities available. Due process has been followed during the procurement of the architect and the sub consultants documenting the new school.
and
In order to meet the required opening date of January 2020, a highly experienced and well-staffed architectural firm has been awarded the contract. The Department of Education has every confidence that the accelerated program will not have any adverse impacts on the quality or longevity of the new school facilities.
Minister Ellery concluded by writing:
Developed designs will show that the Inner City College references heritage-listed buildings in the area through use of red bricks, while still maintaining a contemporary design.
It will take more than some red bricks to design a school that is appropriate to its site and context: I hope the Minister is right, when she says developed designs will show the design adequately reference the heritage listed buildings that surround the new project.
I also wrote to the Mayor of Subiaco, Penny Taylor, who replied:
I concur! I’ll write a proper reply but I take all your points on board. I have urged the Minister to consider the design of the school and that we feel it could easily be much better.
We don’t want to hold up the process but to have something good is what we all want.
This school project offers a once-in-a-generation chance to build an exemplar facility for future students, and to demonstrate to the community that we value good design. The school will have a long lifespan, and many children and teenagers will pass through its gates over the coming decades. Procuring good design now will ensure that the buildings remain relevant and that maintenance and operational costs are minimised over time. Let’s get it right, from the outset.
