Innovative TAFE design melds centuries

MATERIALS from the twentieth and twenty-first century have been brought together in the new Central TAFE building in Northbridge.

TAFE managing director Brian Paterson said the combination of materials created a building whose function is fused within the architecture itself.

It has been designed to replace Claremont School of Art and the St Brigid’s annex.

“This building, designed by Cox Howlett and Bailey Woodland and built by BGC builders, reuses semi-industrial building fabrics alongside a contemporary structure to provide a contrast between old and new,” Mr Paterson said.

He said the architects initially held collaborative workshops with students and Central TAFE to discuss concepts, which allowed the project to evolve and achieve its success.

The school has been designed to be energy efficient with extensive use of natural lighting from the true south, sun screening to prevent thermal loading and solid thermal buffering to the external frontage.