International competition for sustainable schools in Australia

Three-dimensional building components

The spatial building structure of “Croc shaped” is based on prefabricated, three-dimensional building components. Being assembled on site the components will be filled with local materials. They provide the required facilities in relation to the thematic and climatic context. The building reveals its main quality in the reciprocity between building and users activity. Students are challenged to participate in setting out and maintain a roof garden or designing their own “roof playground”. The technical processes of accumulating solar energy or collecting water becomes an integral part of every day school life.

Transferability

In a highly dense urban environment, the lack of outside space can be compensated by elevating playground and sport activities to the roof level. In a suburban community the roof of the relocatable may be transformed into romantic garden scenery, while in the remote community context students grow their own vegetables as ingredients for the every week school dinner. Concerning different climatic situations, the amount of soil, filled up on site, becomes crucial. Under extreme conditions a maximum of building components should be covered to ensure the maximum amount of thermal mass. Placement and orientation of the vertical components towards the sun should secure a maximum on sun shielding. Covered outside areas should be considered.

Indoor space

Due to the three-dimensional design, roof elements enable a span of 11200 mm, allowing a high flexibility rate of the internal structure. The horizontal and vertical facades provide the interior with indirect daylight without blocking the inside-outside relation. Moveable facilities for toilets, storage and display space react on curricula and educational targets.

Logistics

All building components are related to a module measurement of 1600 x 1600 mm. The resulting components don't exceed a length of 11200 mm and a with of 3200 mm. Due to the design of complementary shapes they can be packed in kits of 3200 x 3200 x 11200 mm and easily be transported via roads. Using an extreme lightweight material for the primary construction, helicopter transport to disaster areas becomes considerable.

Sustainability

The three dimensional building components are fabricated from recycled polystyrene made from packaging waste. To avoid dissipation of energy during the transport, the thermal building mass is added on site by making use of local soil and plants. Due to the insulating quality and a high osmosis constancy, the building components can function as reservoirs for rainwater providing plants and toilets. The three-dimensional design of all building components considering an angle of 20 degrees enables efficient use of photovoltaic panels and a high rate of sun shielding.