St Brigid’s Primary School Hall
Raymond Terrace, NSW (2010)
If you want to match something, is it enough just to copy it?
As an architectural device, ‘matching’ seems to be the planner’s catchcry. However, its success can be limited since age provides a building with a patina that is almost impossible to emulate.
Far more successful is the approach to identify the critical importance of the heritage item and use new elements to reinforce this importance. In the St Brigid’s hall project, the existing building gained its importance from use over time by the community. We have reinforced this social importance by carefully siting a new larger hall to create a unified ensemble — a continuation of the use.
The materials used hint at, but do not copy the existing forms. Materials and texture have been chosen to render the heritage item as the predominant element on the site.
Client: Catholic Schools Office
Area: 821 m2 (FECA + UCA)
Cost: A$1,775,007
Cost/m2: A$2,162
Builder: Belkin Commercial
Structural Engineer: Lewis Engineering
Electrical Engineer: Electrical Projects Australia
Hydraulic Engineer: McCallum PFCA
Landscape Design: Mim Woodland