A family and child support centre designed to feel like part of a home.
The Muylatina Child and Family Learning Centre provides a fully integrated, interdisciplinary child and family service for the East Tamar region in northern Tasmania, focusing on the wellbeing and educational development of children and their families.
Located within the existing East Tamar Primary School grounds, the centre’s exteriors reference the surrounding suburban streetscape, playing with the recognisable gable house form and supporting the idea that the space is not an institution, but an extension of the home.
CLIENT
Department for Education, Children and Young People
IMAGES
Natasha Mulhall
LAND OF
Stoney Creek Nation
COLLABORATORS
SBLA studio
Tarkarri Engineering
Green Building Surveying
Rare Innovation
RED Sustainability Consultants
Engineering Solutions Tasmania
Aware365
AWARDS
Through discussion with the community at the beginning of the project, we knew that the building had to blend in with its suburban context to create that sense of familiarity and comfort for the families using it. The materials, just like the facades and general form of the centre, reflect the rhythm and aesthetics of houses along the street: brick, metal roof sheeting, and neutral colours.
The subtle colour palette was maintained throughout the centre to allow both the children and staff to bring colour to the space and make it their own.
A canvas for the community.
An inclusive design.
The centre’s design was developed in close collaboration with the local community, the Department of Education, and First Nations elders of the area. Beyond helping us shape the design, this collaboration allowed us to explore and highlight the history, stories, environment and culture of the East Tamar region.
The centre operates as a single body, providing an individual point of contact for the local community, early childhood services and family support services. Because of this, the design balances its function with a sense of familiarity for the community through its form and open, light-filled interiors.
Through considered material use, we’ve made a clear distinction between the public and more private spaces of the centre. The side facing the suburban setting houses the quieter zones - the admin area, staff hubs, and rooms for visiting doctors to attend to families. On the other side, facing the school, the interactive child areas - the sandpit and playground - frame the 'heart of the home', the community kitchen.
A strong focus on the ‘natural’ has been used in the playground with native flora and fauna dotted throughout the area to intrigue imaginations and challenge growing bodies.
Balanced, familiar, playful.
