Gabriel-Ange (Iga) Bachiyunve

The outdoor play area is conceived as an extension of the learning environments, a landscape that encourages sensory engagement and movement through play, promoting curiosity and a sense of safety while maintaining visual connection with caregivers and nature.

The facility is composed of distinct yet interconnected zones that address the community’s varied needs. An administrative wing includes consultation cubicles and multipurpose training rooms, providing flexible spaces for online education and employment readiness programs. Linked by a communal lounge, the family and women’s centre supports early childhood development and healthy living through dedicated areas for daycare and outdoor play. Specialised facilities for elderly residents offer personal care, social support, and home assistance services, while external gathering spaces foster community interaction and strengthen connection to Country.

Section cuts demonstrate the spatial hierarchy, material layering, and environmental relationships between interior programs and exterior gathering spaces.

Compacted earthbags are layered and interlocked with barbed wire placed between each course, enhancing tensile strength, preventing slippage, and ensuring wall stability under compression. The structure rises from stone masonry foundations and a podium, bonded with earthen-based mortar that grounds the building in its natural context. Above, stone masonry columns support a charred eucalyptus timber roof frame, clad in weathering steel sheeting. Doors and windows, crafted from charred eucalyptus timber, continue the tactile expression of the material palette, reinforcing the dialogue between simplicity, craft, and Country.

The courtyard functions as a shaded gathering place where community and landscape meet. The design makes a simple gesture of hugging nature, as a way of working with Country, expressed through a roof cut-out, and stepped stone amphitheatre that frame light, air, and Connection to Place. The space offers a calm setting for rest, conversation, and storytelling, with natural materials and open views reinforcing a strong bond with the surrounding environment.

The verandah forms a generous, shaded threshold between the building and the landscape. Stone columns, textured paving, and softly filtered light create a calm, welcoming environment that extends the learning spaces outdoors. This area strengthens the relationship between inside and outside, offering a flexible, community-friendly setting throughout the day.