Riva Primary School
EDUCATION
CLIENT: Department of Finance on behalf of Department of Education
LOCATION:
Piara Waters, WA
CONSTRUCTION VALUE: $17m
COMPLETED: January 2022
CARABINER TEAM:
Project Director: Peter Giangiulio
Project Architect: Paolo Basini
The new Riva Primary School is an inclusive, community-centric campus located adjacent to an existing Council sporting reserve in Piara Waters, a southeastern suburb of Perth.
Carabiner was commissioned to design the new K-6 primary school in 2019, and successfully delivered the school in time for the commencement of the 2022 school year. The brief required the delivery of a ‘standard pattern’ primary school designed to cater for a student population of 590 to support the growing demand in this rapidly growing suburb.
With a short delivery timeline, a rigorous masterplanning process was critical to achieving the aspirations of the brief. Our initial investigations of the long, 3.5 hectare site, revealed that the briefed buildings would not effectively fit onto the site without severely compromising useful play and circulation spaces. We explored combining two standard classroom blocks into a single two storey learning building, effectively opening up the site and providing additional usable play space and landscape zones. This clever resolution was embraced by the client and has significantly added to the amenity, flow and identity of the school campus.
A welcoming interface
Riva Primary School has been masterplanned with administrative, library and conference facilities at the centre of the campus, creating an active central heart and welcoming interface to the community.
The central administration building incorporates a specialist Education Support Hub for families of children with special needs as well as a Dental Therapy Unit, elevating inclusivity and support as core values of the school. Two specialist teaching blocks are located adjacent, at the southern perimeter of the campus, with one providing dedicated art and craft facilities and the other designed as an inclusive education learning environment to support programs for students with special needs.
In order to maximise play space and outdoor learning opportunities, the years 1-6 facilities have been arranged along the perimeter of the campus, defining an active and open central landscaped zone.
“This open area provides clear sightlines for easy supervision, offers varied spaces for physical play and outdoor learning activities, and is attractively landscaped with low maintenance and water-sensitive native plant species. ”
Facilities for this cohort include a standard 4 class teaching block, a new style 2 storey teaching block, as well as a covered assembly building incorporating music room and canteen.
The kindergarten and pre-primary teaching block is located in the northwestern portion of the site, integrated in form yet appropriately separated from the years 1-6 cohorts, and providing a shaded play space and dedicated parking and drop off area.
The new school campus has been celebrated by the client and school community alike as an exemplar design outcome. It has become a vibrant place for learning that is well loved by the new school entity, who have embraced the openness and the central landscaped area for play and teaching opportunities, and are rapidly building an active and connected community.
"The founding values of Riva Primary School are 'respect, inclusion and achievement', and these are reflected through the teachers, students, and learning environment." Sue Ellery, Education and Training Minister
“The process was characterised by clear, open and respectful communication and collaboration, and opportunities for input as well as the provision of professional advice and technical skill in shaping the school for maximum value for our students, within constraints of the project budget and design brief. Wherever possible, Carabiner included and consulted, and made changes based on feedback. They were also very skilled at understanding the essence or taking inspiration from our conversations, and coming up with solutions, finishes or inclusions that added a touch of magic.” Aaron Chaplin, Riva Primary School Principal
Jury Citation, 2016 Architecture Award – Public Architecture
Australian Institute of Architects (WA)