Following the extensive refurbishment of St Brendan’s heritage church, FPPV were engaged by the St Brendan’s parish to undertake a masterplan for the primary school. This masterplan led directly to the design and construction of a new sports hall and multi-purpose space.

Requiring a creative approach to spatial limitations and highly restrictive Town Planning requirements, this project provided a full-sized basketball court on a small, built-up site. The court was required to conform to EPA acoustic limits due to the proximity of surrounding neighbours. The solution was to tuck the form between two buildings and install large vertically sliding glass panels at each end, in effect creating a covered open area.

One end opens into the central outdoor space at the school and the other opens directly onto the street. The space is used during school hours for sport, drama, music and school assemblies, as well as much needed covered play space during recess and lunch. Outside school hours and on weekends, the space is used as a community sports facility, or for public gathering, including for weekend markets run by the community.

The cost effective and sustainable solution has given a strong focus to the school and community. Small details such as the use of coloured film offer both an inexpensive infusion of colour and flexibility for future changes.